Sooooooooooooooooo Queens are being told not to participate at Pride Parades because it may offend trans people.

posted by BoatShoes

That pew link is a little misleading IMHO as the Democrats have gone to the left since the 1990's whereas the Republicans started their ascent to the right much earlier. The near complete elimination of southern and rural democrats has further cemented the Democratic party as a left-wing party. 

The Vote View project is pretty good IMHO. 

https://legacy.voteview.com/political_polarization_2015.htm

This is interested as well.  Thanks for sharing.  I'd like to see this same research thru 2017.  Based on the pew research it seemed like the democrat's median was on its way to the left starting in 2011 and then skyrocketed once trump got into the picture (2015). 

posted by CenterBHSFan

@Like_that

I've said many times before that the far left is now mainstream. Radical if you will. To the point where:

1.) Jokes that are subjectively offensive cannot be told

2.) Subjectively offensive statues cannot be seen by the walk-by public

3.) Almost impossible to wear a simple Halloween costume

4.) If you do not support far left activism you are homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic, secularphobic (I've actually seen this a few times), trans exclusionary radical feminism/phobic, cuckphobic... there's almost no end to the mis-termed phobias. 

5.) Any type of masculinity is toxic

6.) White silence is violence

7.) Individualism is rejected, you must be part of a collective

8.) Parity is the new equality

9.) White patriarchy is murder (yet white silence is somehow violence)

We've seen these types of behaviors here in this forum. And not just isadore. 

It should not take anybody by surprise that studies and statistics are predicting that the youngest crop of GenZ is going to be the most conservative in generations. The left has pushed it that far and the snapback is going to sting. When the left calls Dave Rubin "to the right of Breitbart", you know that the far left is now mainstream. 

I've also stated before that this is a problem that is going to have to be changed from within. Nobody on the "left" will listen to reason from anybody on the right, so the "right" is automatically excluded. If anybody here considers themselves on the left side of the political spectrum, better roll up your shirtsleeves and get busy!

*Edit to add*

At this point, I'm glad I left the left decades ago. The process wasn't overnight and looking back, I probably couldn't name the actual problems within the party that were edging me out in the way that I could name them today. I just knew that the ideology of the party was changing in an organic way. 
I suppose that that is the reason I harp on the democrats much more than I ever have on the republicans. Being born and raised as a democrat, I can see just how much of a wild turn the party has become. And, not to age myself or to punch down in any way, some of us in the eldest crop of GenX saw this coming for a long time. The youngest GenX'ers and millenials didn't experience it in the same way, through no fault of their own. Sure they can read words about it or listen to others talk about it, but it's not exactly the same. 

100% agree. I have friends who made "offensive" jokes years ago (with context and audience in mind) and now they pretend these same type of jokes are beneath them.   I don't know who can change it "within."  If they are casting off liberals like Rubin, who will they actually listen to?  I am really interested where the DNC goes once Trump is out of the picture.  Will they go further left embracing the bernies of this country or will they embrace the lambs of their party, who by a lot measure is more conservative than some of the fucking clowns representing the GOP.   If the DNC embraces the lambs, it would bring some hope that the DNC would shift back toward the middle.  Im curious to see what happens if the DNC embraces the lambs to win seats in "purple" or red states.   Will those candidates actually stay principled or will they just fall in party line?  Say what you want about the GOP, but they at least have some reps who are principled and don't fall in line with the party 100% of the time.  That's why they couldn't get anything done with healthcare.  
 

posted by O-Trap

Frankly, I have a harder and harder time trying to find the "good" side of either of them, anymore.  We're getting to a point at which both seem to want to control your money and civil liberties.  The only argument is over what they want to spend it on.

Pretty much the only difference between the two and one party supports gun rights.   That's why considering the political climate the last 10+ years I just roll my eyes with talk of a blue wave or red wave.  The pendulum will keep swinging back and forth, because it is the same thing.  

posted by like_that

Has anyone seen this before?  http://www.people-press.org/interactives/political-polarization-1994-2017/

It's pretty interesting.  Kinda proves the point that even though both sides have their idiots, liberals apparently  have a lot more considering how far left the median has gone for them. 

I've never really dug into the methodologies of these polls.  But I have a pretty good idea of how it works and what the challenges are.  I also know it's VERY EASY to "justifiably" put your finger on the scale depending on how you define "center" and whether it's static or can move.

IMO, the majority of Republicans are relatively close to center, especially most of the leadership.  That's a stark contrast to the Democrats.  However, the Tea Party (which is still a small minority of Repubs) got kind of hijacked and clowns like Cruz, Bachman and Palin suck a lot of air out of the room but have little actual influence.

posted by like_that

Pretty much the only difference between the two and one party supports gun rights.   That's why considering the political climate the last 10+ years I just roll my eyes with talk of a blue wave or red wave.  The pendulum will keep swinging back and forth, because it is the same thing.  

Honestly, though, even that conversation is much more narrow.  It has come down to both being okay with gun regulation and simply disagreeing over how much and what kind.

Certainly, you have the extremes (no gun laws vs. no guns allowed), but the general sentiment from the right is that we have "enough" gun laws (ie. not "too many"), and the general sentiment from the left is that we need more (but not a full-on ban).

While one might see that and say that the lack of extremes makes those the more reasonable options, I'd argue that it makes them more similar than we treat them.  Certainly not opposite ends of a spectrum.

posted by O-Trap

While one might see that and say that the lack of extremes makes those the more reasonable options, I'd argue that it makes them more similar than we treat them.  Certainly not opposite ends of a spectrum.

That would explain why Dems focus so much more on identity politics rather than policy.  They can't convince you to vote for their ideas on logic or merit, so they try to shame you into not voting for racist/sexist Republicans.

The Republicans in 2010 and after ran on essentially the anti-Obama platform (i.e. anti-deficit and anti-socialism).  Now with control of the WH, it's clear to most that was all bullshit.  Mind you, prior to Obamacare it was W that passed the largest entitlement expansion in a couple of decades.

Well, it seems that the new leftist religion has entered the gardening world.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/fears-over-japanese-knotweed-are-xenophobic-environmental-expert-claims/ar-AAvF7H7

‘If you look at the language used to describe these “invasive species”, it is very xenophobic and suggests that anything foreign is bad. It is terrifyingly similar to the language which can be used about immigrants invading the country.’
 

posted by gut

That would explain why Dems focus so much more on identity politics rather than policy.  They can't convince you to vote for their ideas on logic or merit, so they try to shame you into not voting for racist/sexist Republicans.

The Republicans in 2010 and after ran on essentially the anti-Obama platform (i.e. anti-deficit and anti-socialism).  Now with control of the WH, it's clear to most that was all bullshit.  Mind you, prior to Obamacare it was W that passed the largest entitlement expansion in a couple of decades.

Man, do you remember the Republicans who were falling all over themselves defending W's stimulus?  Normally, you have to pay for that kind of entertainment.

posted by CenterBHSFan

Well, it seems that the new leftist religion has entered the gardening world.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/fears-over-japanese-knotweed-are-xenophobic-environmental-expert-claims/ar-AAvF7H7

FFS

"Chick-fil-A’s arrival in New York City feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism."

http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/15/new-yorker-publishes-hate-piece-chick-fil-christian-ethos/

It sure seems like it will only get harder and harder to co-exist.

posted by QuakerOats

"Chick-fil-A’s arrival in New York City feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism."

http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/15/new-yorker-publishes-hate-piece-chick-fil-christian-ethos/

 

 

It sure seems like it will only get harder and harder to co-exist.

 

 

LOL, I am not a fast food guy, so I will never understand the craze for chick fil a.  However, no amount of butt hurt is going to bring down chick fil a.  The first chick fil a opened in DC nearly 3 years ago in an area that doesn't get the heaviest foot traffic in comparison to other heavy foot traffic areas.  They still have a line almost every single day.  Since then, (not counting the airport), they have opened up 6 more locations in DC.  

I am not a fast-food person whatsoever, but the 2-3 times I have had Chick-fil-A it has been darn good; there is a reason there is a line around every one you pass.  Their employees have Type-A personalities, and have excellent customer communication skills.  And I think their ad campaign is great. 

Too bad they are soooooo Christian though.

LOL  

posted by QuakerOats

"Chick-fil-A’s arrival in New York City feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism."

http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/15/new-yorker-publishes-hate-piece-chick-fil-christian-ethos/

 

It sure seems like it will only get harder and harder to co-exist.

I read the New Yorker article yesterday with this in it.

Writer needs to chill out.  Maybe have a chicken sandwich with some Chick-fil-A sauce on it.

Also, if it's a viable restaurant in that location, then his assertion that it "feels like an infiltration" is probably not well-founded, because the people eating there, keeping it open, appear to disagree.

My main complaint with Chick-fil-A’s is they are not open on Sundays. I don't give a shit about the views of the owners, so long as they keep the tasty chicken coming. I just want them to be open on Sundays. There have been many times I am driving home on Sundays and think, man Chick-fil-A sounds so good right now as I don't want to make dinner, but fuck, those guys are not open. Welp, Five Guys, Elevation burger, or other fast food it is then. 

Love how chik fil a is in the Georgia dome but don’t sell a single chicken because they’re not open during the falcons games. 

Losing out on a ton of money, all for your precious religion. 

posted by SportsAndLady

Love how chik fil a is in the Georgia dome but don’t sell a single chicken because they’re not open during the falcons games. 

Losing out on a ton of money, all for your precious religion. 

I'm all for them doing what they want, but it was pretty dumb to get a spot in any NFL football stadium.

posted by ptown_trojans_1

My main complaint with Chick-fil-A’s is they are not open on Sundays. I don't give a shit about the views of the owners, so long as they keep the tasty chicken coming. I just want them to be open on Sundays. There have been many times I am driving home on Sundays and think, man Chick-fil-A sounds so good right now as I don't want to make dinner, but fuck, those guys are not open. Welp, Five Guys, Elevation burger, or other fast food it is then. 

I had this discussion this past weekend.  I wonder how much money they lose out on Sundays when they could have a bunch of hungover people craving chick fil a.   On the other hand, how much does it drive up the demand for the rest of the week since everyone knows they can't eat their on Sundays?

It's not different than resturaunts that close on Mondays or Tuesdays.

posted by SportsAndLady

Love how chik fil a is in the Georgia dome but don’t sell a single chicken because they’re not open during the falcons games. 

Losing out on a ton of money, all for your precious religion. 

That is fucking weird and seems pointless to have one there.  I figured they would have made an exception to their rule.   NFL shit aside, you can argue that giving their employees a guaranteed Sunday off every week makes them more productive and helps them recruit better talent. 
 

posted by SportsAndLady

Love how chik fil a is in the Georgia dome but don’t sell a single chicken because they’re not open during the falcons games. 

Losing out on a ton of money, all for your precious religion. 

I am sure that the Georgia Dome is not open for any other event other than Falcon games...

On a related note, the new thing seems to be writing articles trashing how Republicans are going to react to something Trump hasn't done yet.....hypotheticals on top of hypotheticals.   NYT had an article crying about how Mueller's findings might be covered-up or buried, so I guess they're laying the foundation for a giant nothingburger and then they can write articles speculating about why Trump would bury their imaginary evidence.

I think the "media" has thoroughly compounded enough on the fact that they despise Trump. That's fine, they can love/hate anybody they want. But IMO they should despise him for what he's said or done, or what he says that he's going to do rather than hate him for hypotheticals.

posted by jmog

I am sure that the Georgia Dome is not open for any other event other than Falcon games...

Of course, it certainly is, but it was built for Falcons games.  They're the entrée.  Any other event is just a side dish.

A couple things stand out from Comey's latest interview:

1) saying Trump is above-average intelligent absolutely floored me.  But then I remembered how stupid the average person is....

2) while it doesn't automatically ruin integrity/credibility, it's pretty clear Comey and others in DOJ believe they have a duty to rescue Americans from President Trump....which sure makes things look like a fishing expedition to impeach a duly elected POTUS.  In another country, we would probably call that a coup. 

The above is very unsettling.  We'll see what they're after with Cohen, but if that raid is another ploy to get to Trump then that is very alarming and the FBI/DOJ are completely off the rails.  And 2/3 of the country are cheering all this because they hate Trump so much.....but frickin' Facebook, though, that's an outrage!!!!!

posted by gut

A couple things stand out from Comey's latest interview:

1) saying Trump is above-average intelligent absolutely floored me.  But then I remembered how stupid the average person is....

Comey and McCabe were essentially removed by their own people, per the Inspector General findings.  They are proven liars and leakers, and the other criminals in the FBI and DoJ must also be purged.  And yesterday, another deadline for documents came and went with the DoJ and FBI thumbing their nose at The People's representatives in congress who have the duty of oversight.  Literally incredible how 'above-the-law' these deep state bureaucrats think they are.  If the stonewalling continues, I hope and believe that Mr. Trump will begin pardoning all those caught up in this corrupt and illegal charade, starting with Michael Flynn. 

posted by QuakerOats

Comey and McCabe were essentially removed by their own people, per the Inspector General findings.  

I'm disgusted that Comey seems to believe it was his duty to remove Trump from office because of his determination - not the voters - that Trump is "morally unfit" for the Office.  I can even agree Trump is "morally unfit", but the voters knew exactly who he was in that respect.

I'm not a "deep state" theorist, but while everyone is running around crying about "Russian inteference", the DOJ had a MAJOR impact on the 2016 Presidential election and is poised to significantly impact 2018 elections....means and effects seen with tyranny and authoritarianism.