How do you view your political counterparts as Americans? (Iraq, Israel, illegal)

[hnsq]

I don't see anyone as 'unAmerican', however as a libertarian leaning person (socially liberal, fiscally conservative) I see socially conservative people as fairly uneducated and closed minded, and I see fiscally liberal people as flat out lazy.

[oldraider]

I have never voted a straight ticket, I vote for the individual that I believe in most. To be labeled as stupid or uneducated just because of a difference of opinion is hitting below the belt. The whole government is divided up as though on different teams we need to work together for the good of all, no matter the party.

[rw47]

Originally Posted by Wapasha

They would if government mandated that they have one.

Only if it was federal.

[jwm1964]

Originally Posted by oldraider

I have never voted a straight ticket, I vote for the individual that I believe in most. To be labeled as stupid or uneducated just because of a difference of opinion is hitting below the belt. The whole government is divided up as though on different teams we need to work together for the good of all, no matter the party.

How do we break the 2 party stranglehold on our country?

[desertdetroiter]

Originally Posted by jwm1964

How do we break the 2 party stranglehold on our country?

We don't break it. And we don't because the American people don't want it broken.

[CancerianMoonPrincess]

I see liberals as misguided people. I dont think they're less American. To me, their mentality is that of a spoiled teenager in some respects. They want all the sexual freedom they want, but they want other people to pay for any mistakes that's occur.

[jwm1964]

Originally Posted by desertdetroiter

We don't break it. And we don't because the American people don't want it broken.

Unfortunately I think you are right.
The politician keep us distracted and at each others throats in this binary system while they continue to rape us blind.

[Casper in Dallas]

Originally Posted by Aganusn

Not politicians, but individuals. For example, if you're a social and fiscal conservative, how do you view social and fiscal liberals (I know, it's all encompassing, but it's just an example)?

Do you see your counterpart as less American than you? Do you feel the difference in values is an actual threat to America?

I think we essentially want the same thing (I would hope), but just want to go about it in different ways. But some people think anyone that doesn't follow their way is wrong, or unamerican etc.

First off there are few Liberals or Conservatives that lean totally to one extreme or the other, I would say more Conservatives here tend to lean totally to the right than there are Liberals here that lean totally to the left. Most are more towards the center with some liberal and some conservatives view points. As for myself I tend to lean Liberal on social issues but am more conservative on issues such as gun control or the military.
Are those that I disagree with Un-American, in most cases I would say No, but there some exceptions, those that want deny voting rights to anyone using any government assistance are Un-American in my opinion, and those that want to tear this nation apart are nothing less than Traitors.
Are they a danger to America, again for the most part I would say no. Again there exceptions, those I mentioned above as traitors or those that want to pass laws the deny rights to segments of our population, or pass laws that force Americans to conform to their religious beliefs and teachings or their own brand of racial hatred are a threat to this nation, IMO.
All that said, I have been at this for more than a couple of years now and have seen the best and the worst of such "discussion" boards. FYI: This is one of the better sites out there, most are either far right leaning or far left leaning, meaning that open discussion will only get you attacked and if you think the few insults thrown around here are bad, you have not seen anything.
There was a time when I felt open discussion between the opposing viewpoints was done at a higher level than what we normally see here. People seemed to understand that someone that disagrees with you on one subject could be a supporter on another. Then the 2008 elections came along and most of that went by the wayside, discussions became more polarized and open and honest discussions became a rarity and not the norm. Will it ever end, I doubt it, far too much has been said between posters and too much water has passed under the bridge.
For myself, I still attempt to discuss the issues with others when they show they are interested in doing so in an adult and civil manner. If, on the other hand, they have proven they are not interested in honest discussion I either give them the respect they give to my, or others, posts or I ignore them altogether.
Casper

[desertdetroiter]

Originally Posted by CancerianMoonPrincess

I see liberals as misguided people. I dont think they're less American. To me, their mentality is that of a spoiled teenager in some respects. They want all the sexual freedom they want, but they want other people to pay for any mistakes that's occur.

All people want sexual freedom. Name me someone that doesn't.

[Sporin]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

No, I do not view social conservatives as less patriotic than I am, and I would hope they would return the sentiment.

This. We may disagree, but I'd never call someone's Patriotism into question for holding a different view then I do.

I think our current 2 party system, and the media it is a slave to, has done a damn good job of pitting "us" against each other with the most ridiculous labels, caricatures, and misrepresentations. You see it on this forum every day, people don't have discussions, they have arguments. And they don't have arguments with each other, they have arguments with the caricature they've applied to each other.

It's a real shame.