General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What too many Americans will never admit [View all]betsuni
(25,122 posts)Because Republicans know what Democrats stand for. Obama was going to involve the government in health care with "Obamacare" (as the Clintons did in the '90s). They want to redistribute the wealth, raise taxes (that was a big omg-Obama-is-a-socialist thing). Carter put solar panels on the White House, Al Gore was obsessed with global warming (and constantly talked about Social Security and "locked box" ), Obama made us use more energy efficient light bulbs and Michelle wanted us to eat vegetables and exercise. They regulate businesses and financial institutions. Big government.
Health care, equality, environmentalism, regulation, keeping social safety nets. Why doesn't everyone know these are Democratic issues when Republicans do? This is a mystery to me. The Republican Party gets people to vote against their own interests by using emotional wedge issues. Democrats can't do that because those wedge issues are lies.
Partisan Republicans and Democrats will vote for whoever's on the ballot. I blame the fact that so many Americans are politiphobes and won't educate themselves, and more people are susceptible to conspiracy theories.
Jonathan Rauch: "Between 25 and 40 percent of Americans ... have a severely distorted view of how government and politics are supposed to work. ... They see the contentious give-and-take of politics as unnecessary and distasteful. Specifically, they believe that obvious, commonsense solutions to the country's problems are out there for the plucking. The reason these obvious solutions are not enacted is that politicians are corrupt, or self-interested, or addicted to unnecessary partisan feuding."
Kim Kardashian supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 but after talking to her step-father, a Republican, had second thoughts and was reported in the press as being on the fence. What she did was actually take the time to look at the policies of both parties and decided the Democratic one was obviously the choice for her. If Kim can do this, no excuse for anyone else with access to a computer for thirty minutes not to.