# Among the political opposition, whose opinion do you respect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 7, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459 "2006-11-07T18:46:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/21 "2006-11-08T01:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Oh, and don’t foget the sanest Dem of them all, Zell Miller. [/QUOTE] Yell-Like-Hell-Zell is no longer either sane, nor much of a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/22 "2006-11-08T02:04:53Z")
I’m pretty liberal, but among talking heads, I like Tucker Carlson. Don’t get me wrong, I disagree with him on a almost everything, but I like the way he actually debates points on their merits, and if someone comes on his show and tries to sell a bunch of talking points, or personally attack someone, he shuts them up and tries to force them to debate the actual issue. Plus, there have been a number of times on his show when he has argued with a guest, and then said that the guest is right and he changed his mind. Imagine Rush doing something like that. Politician-wise I have a lot of respect for Richard Lugar. He tries to rise above the partisan bullshit, and given that in the current political climate he currently has 88% of the votes for reelection, while elsewhere in Indiana republican incumbents are dropping like flies (Hostettler seems to be going down, thank christ, although it looks like Pence is going to hang on), I’d say he’s doing a good job for Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/23 "2006-11-08T03:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Oh really? How so? In other words, cite, please. Actually, given your accusation, make that _cites_. [/QUOTE] Dude… he’s the guy that gave the Culture War speech at the '92 Republican convention. He basically invented the term. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/24 "2006-11-08T03:59:29Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Dude… he’s the guy that gave the Culture War speech at the '92 Republican convention. He basically invented the term. [/QUOTE] Are you of the mind that those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/25 "2006-11-08T04:09:17Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Are you of the mind that those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist? [/QUOTE] :dubious: Yes. Those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist, and those on the other side of the “culture war” are necessarily anti-racist, and you know that as well as any of us. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/26 "2006-11-08T04:32:16Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] :dubious: Yes. Those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist, and those on the other side of the “culture war” are necessarily anti-racist, and you know that as well as any of us. [/QUOTE] Huh? It’s been a long time since Buchanan’s speech at the RNC in 1992 but I seem to remember it was mostly about religious issues, homosexual rights, and abortion. I seem to remember nothing concerning race in said speech, but as I said it has been many years since then and I don’t have a transcript of it handy. Also, I find any argument in which someone says that only racists can be on one side and anti-racists on the other to be completely loaded and almost always without merit. Can you really demonstrate anything to back up your claim that I’ve quoted? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/27 "2006-11-08T04:35:04Z")
Define the “culture war.” Saying one side is necessairly racist is, to be quite frank, a pretty stupid assertion when nobody’s ever clearly defined the term. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/28 "2006-11-08T04:36:27Z")
[QUOTE=Martin Hyde] Huh? It’s been a long time since Buchanan’s speech at the RNC in 1992 but I seem to remember it was mostly about religious issues, homosexual rights, and abortion. I seem to remember nothing concerning race in said speech, but as I said it has been many years since then and I don’t have a transcript of it handy. Also, I find any argument in which someone says that only racists can be on one side and anti-racists on the other to be completely loaded and almost always without merit. Can you really demonstrate anything to back up your claim that I’ve quoted? [/QUOTE] See post #20, and links embedded therein, and all links embedded in those links, just to start with, and if none of that satisfies you, please start a new thread, to which I will no doubt post. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/29 "2006-11-08T04:37:46Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Are you of the mind that those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist? [/QUOTE] No. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/30 "2006-11-08T05:44:07Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Define the “culture war.” Saying one side is necessairly racist is, to be quite frank, a pretty stupid assertion when nobody’s ever clearly defined the term. [/QUOTE] Well, Buchanan has, which requires the term be interpreted in reference to his books, and those I’ve read definitely seem like those of a racist. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/31 "2006-11-08T06:13:00Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] :dubious: Yes. Those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist, and those on the other side of the “culture war” are necessarily anti-racist, and you know that as well as any of us. [/QUOTE] What is this, a Whoosh? Please explain yourself. If you think you can. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/32 "2006-11-08T06:14:28Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] No. [/QUOTE] But that was the reason you provided when I questioned you on the “racist” charge. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/33 "2006-11-08T06:14:41Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] :dubious: Yes. Those on one side of the “culture war” are necessarily racist, and those on the other side of the “culture war” are necessarily anti-racist, and you know that as well as any of us. [/QUOTE] Well, who can argue with that logic? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/34 "2006-11-08T06:34:10Z")
As far as conservative Christian commentators go, I always felt Cal Thomas was someone I could sit and talk with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’d disagree with him on everything, but he strikes me as a guy who’ll listen to your point of view and respond to it, instead of shouting you down. Also, he likes cats. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/35 "2006-11-08T06:50:26Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] But that was the reason you provided when I questioned you on the “racist” charge. [/QUOTE] I didn’t mean to say that he was racist, but I can see how it could have been read that way. I should have said as close to being openly racist as anyone can be these days. Out and out racism just doesn’t fly anymore. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/36 "2006-11-08T07:44:06Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] I didn’t mean to say that he was racist, but I can see how it could have been read that way. I should have said as close to being openly racist as anyone can be these days. Out and out racism just doesn’t fly anymore. [/QUOTE] Fair enough. But do you think he is a racist? If so, why? I’m just curious. No demands of cites will follow. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/37 "2006-11-08T09:15:42Z")
Offhand: Arlen Specter Olympia Snow John Sununu David Brooks James Baker gets a lot of press as “universally respected”, but I think he’s badly overrated. Generally speaking I respect fiscal conservatives or Goldwater conservatives. But people on the Taliban side of the culture war I rarely have much patience for. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/38 "2006-11-08T12:22:56Z")
[QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] I’m pretty liberal, but among talking heads, I like Tucker Carlson. [/QUOTE] Tucker’s stock is rising in my book, too. He’s one of the few rightie talking heads that doesn’t seem to perpetually have a chip on his shoulder. I also must say that he looks much better with a necktie than a bow tie. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/39 "2006-11-08T14:17:08Z")
Religious Righty here- Two guys I like who are Leftier than I (it doesn’t take a lot of effort to be Leftier _L_)- Joe Lieberman Chris Matthews and damn if Senator Clinton hasn’t gained some respect from me. Also gotta admit, Bill C. wasn’t too bad a President. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459/40 "2006-11-08T17:43:00Z")
I find David Brooks to be an unusually sane right-wing commentator. I didn’t say completely sane, just unusually sane. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/among-the-political-opposition-whose-opinion-do-you-respect/379459.md?page=3)