... for our whacked out friends across the political isle, take comfort, you are certainly not the Lone Rangers in your "...crisis of interpersonal trust:" https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2023-01-21_11-45-52.jpg?itok=e7LCJcP7 Samuel, '04 Ruthiemobile ps - ... source: The Polarization of Politics in America - Visual Capitalist Which Countries are the Most Polarized?
Growing up in Oklahoma, strong political opinions on different sides were evident 60 years ago. Living through history gives one perspective ... and endless opportunities for humor and fleecing the rubes. Bob Wilson
It is great that you want to Own The Libs over how polarised your country's politics are. There's a certain poetry to that. Of course the graphic shows a very limited number of countries, but the trend it shows, that countries with more welfare and more "big government" seem to be the ones that are less polarised and more functional, is interesting. It seems you've found the solution to the problem you pretend to be sad about. Congratulations.
George Washington's Farewell Address Included Three Main Warnings - HISTORY "According to Washington, one of the chief dangers of letting regional loyalties dominate loyalty to the nation as a whole was that it would lead to factionalism, or the development of competing political parties. When Americans voted according to party loyalty, rather than the common interest of the nation, Washington feared it would foster a “spirit of revenge,” and enable the rise of “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men”" Maybe the best thing that could happen is to ban all political parties and affiliations. You must vote for the individual and their agenda - no stereotyping, pigeonholing. or hiding behind a party allowed. No such thing as Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Socialist, Communist, Conservative etc- just stop the monkey shines and vote for the best person that will help the whole country the most. Our little area of the country has a number of non-partisan races for local offices- you vote only for the best person for the job no political affiliation or party is allowed.
The D's & R's won't allow that, and really, you can't stop people from teaming up with like minded others. A more workable solution would be to encourage more parties, but that is something D&R don't want either. Ventura got the polling levels required to be invited to the debates. After that his popularity went up, and he won the election for governor. The group that runs the debates is dominated by the D&R, and they increased the required polling levels for candidates to participate for flowing elections.
The OP references an "article" Published 8 years ago if I read correctly, accompanying the select-o-data-graph visual that was generated more recently. July - 2015. Pre P45. Pre Covid (perhaps) Pre 'Jan 6' .....Things actually "may have changed" a little bit since then. Except the humans. They're pretty much the same as they've been all along. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.... (Ecclesiastes 1:9 KJV Published in 1611)
