Can someone explain to me the difference between American right and left?

[Uday]

Both looks the same to your friend Uday.

I asked one friend from the engineering department who is Tea Party what the difference is, and he say that "liberals are all socialists and hate America".

I have asked a few friends in math classes what is the difference, they say "conservatives are all bigots and hate the constitution".

Both answers are obvious bias, so I looked for myself, found very interesting things.

Both parties support torture.

Both parties support violence against people who are different. Ruby Ridge is from Bush the elder, the Waco massacre is from Clinton, yes?

Both parties are keeping Guantanamo Bay open.

Both parties are giving corporations whatever they like. Even "Obamacare" is for giving insurance companies money.

There are more examples, but I think my point is clear, no? So could someone please explain this difference? Because everywhere I go, left and right is hating each other, and this makes no sense, because they look the same.

[piercehawkeye45]

So you did some research and only found similarities between Republican and Democrats? Either you are off the charts on the good ol' political spectrum (libertarian or very left-winged?) or you are attempting to make a very flawed, and IMO worthless, point.

Unless you are trying to say that Republican and Democrats should all hold hands and get along. Then I would think you were completely batshit insane.

[Uday]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Unless you are trying to say that Republican and Democrats should all hold hands and get along. Then I would think you were completely batshit insane.

I think they already do.

[piercehawkeye45]

Eh....

[Uday]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Eh....

As I say, I am having trouble with this. Is why I asked for someone to explain.

[piercehawkeye45]

No trouble. I do have at least some grasp on the similarities and differences between the two parties.

I just don't feel like playing games right now.

[Uday]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

No trouble. I do have at least some grasp on the similarities and differences between the two parties.

I just don't feel like playing games right now.

Okay, I don't feel like telling you about my country, too.

Thank you for all the help.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by Uday

As I say, I am having trouble with this. Is why I asked for someone to explain.

All parties have their own self-interest at heart. The two dominant parties have a vested interest in perpetuating the status quo. In large part, at their origins they also set the status quo. Kind of a perpetual cycle of mediocrity driven by money, power and prestige.

I'm not saying that's bad. It is reality. A reality that can't last indefinitely.

[Undertoad]

Parties are made up of people with significant differences.

But when it comes to policy, or how to get there, the sides end up remarkably equal. Some of this is due to the usual pressures of politics. A lot of it is unseen by the general public.

For example,

The Republican party is highly anti-abortion and receives a great number of votes from anti-abortion voters. But when the Republicans were in charge of the House, Senate, and Presidency, the only thing they did about it was to ban "partial birth" abortion, a rare occurrence which affects less than a thousand abortions per year.

Thus, an enormous amount of fighting and arguing, very little change.

The reasons for this are subtle, and not well-understood. One reason is that if abortion were widely made illegal, the slight majority which is not in favor of that policy would more likely vote Democratic. But also, the Republican "hard-liners" who vote solely on the basis of abortion, would stop caring about politics and stop giving money to campaigns.

Continued in next post.

[Uday]

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle

All parties have their own self-interest at heart. The two dominant parties have a vested interest in perpetuating the status quo. In large part, at their origins they also set the status quo. Kind of a perpetual cycle of mediocrity driven by money, power and prestige.

I'm not saying that's bad. It is reality. A reality that can't last indefinitely.

Sound like the army at home.

[classicman]

One lies through the left side of their mouth and the other through the right.

[Uday]

Originally Posted by classicman

One lies through the left side of their mouth and the other through the right.

Like this?



We have the same politicians, I am thinking.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Uday

Okay, I don't feel like telling you about my country, too.

Thank you for all the help.

Were you talking about the population or politicians? Those answers are completely different. I apologize for being jumpy, I've unfortunately been around too many wannabe radicals lately...

If you look at the American population then there are very large differences between Democrats and Republicans. They have completely different political views because they each, to some extent, have different ideas of what the world should be.

If you look at American politicians, they have to deal with many interest groups and tend to have "experts" telling them what is the best solution. They also have to differentiate between what is best rhetoric and what is best policy and keep up the juggling act. The best politicians, policy wise, are not the politicians that know everything, but the ones that can put the best people around them. And even though an administration can change every four or eight years, the people in Washington tend to more or less stay the same. So whether the politicians are Republicans or Democrats they tend to be around and influenced by the same people.

That is why there are many similarities in, lets say foreign policy, between Bush and Obama even though their political rhetoric is completely different. But do note that even though you can find a vast amount of similarities, there are distinct differences. There isn't a "good" party versus an "evil" party (even though many Americans see it that way), if that is what you were getting at with your first post, but just two different variations of the more or less same perspective of reality.

[Undertoad]

To your examples,

Both parties support torture.

Both parties support the light torture of a small number of individuals who are threats to the USA. In general, voters and therefore both parties are against any sort of widespread torture, and the type of torture that they do support is a rather limited subset.

Both parties support violence against people who are different. Ruby Ridge is from Bush the elder, the Waco massacre is from Clinton, yes?

Yes; and both events are horrible, but both also represent a general failure of Federal law enforcement more than an enforced policy. Sometimes law enforcement is difficult -- and perfect law enforcement is impossible. We should work to be better than these cases, and I think the Federals have learned from them and have not repeated the problems that led to these events. In a country of 300 million people, we are not surprised that mistakes are made even though we are often appalled when they happen.

Both parties are keeping Guantanamo Bay open.

They certainly are. No mistakes here.

But all this also doesn't answer the original question, because we are talking about Democrats and Republicans which are not really the same schools of thought as lefties and righties.

[plthijinx]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

and perfect law enforcement is impossible. We should work to be better than these cases, and I think the Federals have learned from them and have not repeated the problems that led to these events.

damn straight. there is no such thing. not where i live at least. this country will be socialistic one day. as dr. froth put it here