i was thinking about this thing while i rode a bicycle today !
it seems that the USA is getting to be kinda divided between 2 very different ideas . yea , its an election year and stuff like this always gets worse at that time, but from what ive been seeing it looks a lot crazier and more extreem this time around. i sometimes wonder how a country like America can hold together with such different veiws being expressed so strongly

herea an articel i read that gives some insight into the situation
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/report_60_million_people_youd

article
"While you are 100 percent certain that your preferred candidate's stance on issues such as foreign policy and the economy would appeal to any human being with half a brain, there is, in this very same country, an equally large voting bloc which believes that you and your candidate of choice are absolutely insane,"

and heres some of mccains supporters acting crazy
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

and heres some anti mccain people getting shot at or something
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=8dhvdTHZiPU

so what do you think ,
is the political division in the USA greater now than it has been in the past ?
are the differences between teh 2 sides realy so big?
is there a possibility that this division could grow in the future and become a real problem ? or is this just a sign of a robust and healthy democracy?

I honestly think it won't get any worse than a feud between two sports teams/fans. Yeah there will be angry yelling people, but it'll never become a real problem because people know it's not anything worth fighting about.

Plus no matter what you get involved with, there will always be crazy wackjobs making the whole thing look unstable.

This is an excellent topic, lothar. Thanks!

I believe that emotions are heightened this year because of several important factors:
1. The economy woes and fears about how it will impact the average person
2. The war and how to best withdraw the troops properly
3. The uniqueness and potential prospects in possibly having the first African-American president, should Obama win
4. Division over McCain's choice of the potential first female vice president, should McCain win (the love/hate factor on Sarah Palin)
5. Fear that Sarah Palin might become President, should McCain's health fail him, given her inexperience on the national/international scene (another element of the love/hate factor)
6. Frustration over the mistakes made by the Bush administration and desire for change (another big Obama advantage)
7. The harnessing and stirring up of people's fears and concerns about Obama with the guilt by association rhetoric from the McCain campaign, which has snowballed in the wrong direction. It has almost created a mob rules mentality (with a scary resemblance to a lynching mob mentality. *sighs*)

I'm sure there's a lot more but that's all I could think of.

If you couldn't tell, McCain's own campaign has soured me on McCain and Palin. That's their fault and I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way. I will probably vote for Obama. I'm not enthusiastic about it but I'm really tired of McCain and Crew. And I'm even more tired of the campaigns. Let it be over already...

lothar
i was thinking about this thing while i rode a bicycle today !
it seems that the USA is getting to be kinda divided between 2 very different ideas . yea , its an election year and stuff like this always gets worse at that time, but from what ive been seeing it looks a lot crazier and more extreem this time around. i sometimes wonder how a country like America can hold together with such different veiws being expressed so strongly

...

so what do you think ,
is the political division in the USA greater now than it has been in the past ?
are the differences between teh 2 sides realy so big?
is there a possibility that this division could grow in the future and become a real problem ? or is this just a sign of a robust and healthy democracy?

lothar
is the political division in the USA greater now than it has been in the past ?

Not even close. Don't forget that the United States suffered a civil war in the past who's repercussions are still felt today. Not to forget the race riots, assassinations, and the trouble with segregation in the past. If anything things are a lot calmer now.

The U.S. is just one of those countries that takes things a little bit too far (i.e. politics), but isn't as bad as some (India, Pakistan etc.) even if its not as calm about it as other places. :)

Good point, OO. The political races of the late 1700s and 1800s were scandalously vicious by today's standards. Yellow journalism of the past was considerably more rampant than it is now (which tells you someone had good standards for a while and only now is it deteriorating).

ozoneocean

lothar
is the political division in the USA greater now than it has been in the past ?

Not even close. Don't forget that the United States suffered a civil war in the past who's repercussions are still felt today. Not to forget the race riots, assassinations, and the trouble with segregation in the past. If anything things are a lot calmer now.

The U.S. is just one of those countries that takes things a little bit too far (i.e. politics), but isn't as bad as some (India, Pakistan etc.) even if its not as calm about it as other places. :)

There could be some scary factors involved though, we are right now nearly parallel in the sense of the Roman Republics Economy and the utter demise of it, the rich are getting obscene tax breaks because they contribute so much to politicians campaigns for their own gain(EX. Oil companies, health insurance companies) while the poor are getting taxed to death and the middle class is vanishing and becoming a void. The result is more people on welfare or government aid programs, thus they are getting free stuff from the government which in turn raises taxes.

The political division may not be that bad, but the citizen division gets worse. Tuition goes up up up, education rates go down down down, education should be a priority in every country and higher education should not be a luxury.

I too have been soured by McCains campaign, but also Palins... if I hear Hockey Mom one more time I'm gonna blow!

KingRidley
I honestly think it won't get any worse than a feud between two sports teams/fans. Yeah there will be angry yelling people, but it'll never become a real problem because people know it's not anything worth fighting about.

Plus no matter what you get involved with, there will always be crazy wackjobs making the whole thing look unstable.

It could elevate to much worse then a feud between two sports teams because this is a landmark election with both a female candidate and black candidate. You can't under estimate the power of wackjobs with a following who believe it is worth fighting about.