Also agree to disagree on Social Security, for the fact it is legalized confiscation of one’s earnings, with a horrendous return on investment, barely keeping its recipients afloat financially. Highly recommend Dick McDonald’s http://www.RiseUpAmerica.us for a viable solution.

Glad we seem to see eye-to-eye on extremists on either end of the spectrum, too.

I strongly dislike far left extremists that get overly angry. You may pick up that I am a moderate. Anytime people shout over each other or dismiss others as blind/ignorant/stupid it doesn’t work. David pointed out the moderate factor in the republican party seems to hold more influence. Why have the conservatives not gone further in their designs to promote their agenda and have a presidential nomination? I argue that you can’t alienate people and still achieve your goal. Eric, when you belittle others while making your point (even when they have clear validity), they fall short of their full effectiveness. I find you have a wealth of knowledge, but get caught up in the tit-for-tat of trying to have the last word. In these tit-for-tat scenario, every point you make can be countered from the left with another point (sometimes on subject and sometimes off subject). Focus on your next rebuttal you don’t absorb what is being said. You pick and choose the points that support your opinion, but do you accept the points that prove your opinion wrong? And here I mean on a philosophical basis. If you can’t, then you marginalize yourself and your ability to persuade those outside of a smaller circle. This applies equally to the far left screaming heads spewing hate speech as well.

Please explain further. With admitted speed-bumps on the way to victory, the results from US military campaigns have been 100% effective when allowed. The same cannot be said of social engineering programs, notably a nearing bankruptcy Social Security and the aforementioned War on Poverty.

>>I challenge you to go on a leftist, liberal, democratic (whatever you want to call it) website and try to have a discourse without being rude or condescending.>>

Been there and tried it, Huffington and Kos amongst them. Never once met any discourse that didn’t end pretty quickly with name calling by the leftist, modern liberal, Democrat (whatever you want to call them). The best debates I’ve experienced strangely happen at ESPN.com and SI.com (and here of course ). Aside from the occasional racist comment (from presumably black racists intent on defending Jemele Hill or Scoop Jackson’s racism), well-reasoned people in the sports world.

>>I challenge you to listen to what they say with respect and to respond accordingly. Putting other people down doesn’t make your points more valid or their points less valid. It simply exposes insecurity.>>

If actually using facts, reason and logic to refute equates with insecurity, with some occasional smart-assery which I’ve been known to employ, I’m genuinely curious your view of the overly angry Kos Kids and HuffPo crowd.

BarryO, as I tend to ask of all folks of dissenting opinion, please stop with the dodging and obfuscation and simply answer my questions. Believe it or not, even though my patience is growing increasingly thinner, I truly miss the art of agreeing to disagree.

Stephanie has serious anger issues and she’s right – she won’t change my mind and I won’t change hers. The difference is that I’m trying to at least understand. You can call me derogatory names in hopes to win the emotional argument, but it only makes you look silly in the intellectual argument. Your hate speech makes you less or maybe even entirely ineffective. Eric’s points could be made without the looking-down-your-nose position. By being condescending it makes your arguments so much more blah. The government’s hand in your pocket from social engineering programs can be equaled by it’s military programs (like the War on Terror). I challenge you to go on a leftist, liberal, democratic (whatever you want to call it) website and try to have a discourse without being rude or condescending. I challenge you to listen to what they say with respect and to respond accordingly. Putting other people down doesn’t make your points more valid or their points less valid. It simply exposes insecurity. I try to offer up opinions to remind you that there are people out there who are making an effort, and by lumping them into categories, you miss the opportunity to make a convincing argument and maybe even change someone’s mind. It’s like when I debated a southern, Baptist minister on gay marriage (I’m obviously the one for it). I learned more from him taking the time to talk, rather than quoting me bible verses that I learned in my own upbringing.

I got more today from David’s careful, well-thought out response than anything else. Thank you. I agree with the first half. The second half still feels to me to be a stretch. The American political system allows for the minority to lawfully become the majority. Obama may be charismatic, but he can still be voted out. He can’t crush the opposition and suppress their ability to act (take for example the free exchange of ideas on websites like this one). The fact that this blog exists says that free speech is allowed to go on. I truly believe that fundamentally America could never be a socialist or communist society. You can claim that it can have characteristics of it, but it could not function as such. Not even liberal democrats would stand for it. Nobody wants the government’s hand in their pocket or boot heel on their neck. Marx studied capitalism to come up with his version of communism, so of course there will be some commonalities. But to claim the country is going that direction is alarmist and overreaching. It plays upon our fears as a country stemming back to the Cold War. Commie! Pinko! Fascist! used to be insults. Now the left laugh when you say these things. They are obsolete. You can bitch about big government, but you lose me at the fundamental change in America being a revamping of our basic political/economic structure. The current administration is trying to respond to the financial crises they were handed and implement their agenda. Whether it’s good or bad is left to be seen.

I say to continue to expose hypocrisy where you see it, but don’t act like a hypocrite while doing it by ignoring character, integrity and honor.

More than half the people on here are former Lefties. That should probably give you pause.

It appears He’s stating his opinion honestly and in good faith of having a discussion. There’s no need to condescend.