Obama Announces Re-election Bid

[BigV]

Understandable.

This is what did it for me:

Originally Posted by Jill

You fail to understand how debate works. You make a claim, it is incumbent upon you to back it up. Your debate partner is not responsible for refuting your claims.

mercy, please understand I don't intend this to be a criticism of you personally. I think this is important enough to be enshrined in a (to-be-created,-but-probably-won't-and-even-if-it-does-it-will-be-ignored-and-mocked-shut-up-never-mind-the-contradiction) Cellar Rules of Debate thread.

it's similar to the spirit of the questions I've been asking you directly like what source do you consider most reliable, etc. If we don't have the same, or roughly the same frames of reference (hahahah that started out as reverence) for the terms of our discussion, we'll continue to simply, and uselessly talk past each other. No understanding will happen. And I don't wish to waste my time in that fashion.

I *like* you. You're clearly smart and articulate. I don't agree with all your politics, but that's fine, that's a good thing. I don't want to restrict my world to a circle of people with whom I already agree, about whom I already know most everything. You and your different viewpoints help me learn and grow. I encourage that.

But I won't bother just namecalling back and forth. Help me learn. I may be persuaded, you might be persuaded, but if we keep trying to inform each other and if we each keep an open mind, we'll definitely learn from each other.

Yours,