# Is there an online board/forum where reasonable, intelligent debate occurs between Reps and Dems? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 20, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558 "2019-09-20T13:11:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/1 "2019-09-20T13:11:55Z")
I’m looking for a place to futiley attempt to reason with Trump supporters - a place where a reasonable point won’t be met with “MAGA!”. Is there a forum where such discourse between Pubs and Dems takes place? Civility is a plus. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/2 "2019-09-20T13:58:27Z")
I think the closest you’re likely to come is probably [r/theMotte](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMotte/). You’re only going to get the very smartest and least trolly republicans. That said, I stopped hanging out there a while back because, quite frankly, even the very smartest and least trolly republicans are absolutely insufferable to be around, and even those with the best intentions and the best mental hygiene are still carrying years of bad intellectual baggage along with them. And of course, it being on reddit, the biases of the community become very obvious very quickly - and let’s just say that if you get into a conversation about whether gamergate was a hate campaign or a group of people worried about ethics in games journalism, the person taking the latter position is going to be sitting at +50 and the person who’s actually _right_ will not be. Also most right-wingers there are not Trump supporters, and those who are are usually supporters in the “I think he sucks but we do need an authoritarian” NRx bend, which gets really weird really fast. This is kind of one of the fundamental problems with trying to engage with modern republicans. I spent a long time looking for good reasons to vote for Trump. There really aren’t any. Most Trump supporters will be grossly misinformed about damn near anything, conspiracy theorists, hardline partisans, or favor policies and outcomes that most sane people would consider horrendous (y’know, those lovely folks who are big fans of Trump throwing kids in concentration camps). Really, it’s a bit like asking where the reasonable, intelligent debate occurs between biologists and young earth creationists - it’s _out there_, but even the best case is pretty painful. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/3 "2019-09-20T14:19:31Z")
Honestly - and not to be snarky - the Straight Dope is already one of the most levelheaded places that there is out there. There is strict but generally fair moderating here, most posters here are pretty smart+educated regardless of their political leaning, etc. Sure, there’s name-calling and ad hominem-ing and logical fallacies, but by and large it is already as civil as you can expect D’s and R’s to possibly get in today’s toxic era. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/4 "2019-09-20T14:25:20Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > I’m looking for a place to futiley attempt to reason with Trump supporters - a place where a reasonable point won’t be met with “MAGA!”. Is there a forum where such discourse between Pubs and Dems takes place? Civility is a plus. I’m a Republican but not a Trump supporter… ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/5 "2019-09-20T14:44:28Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I’m a Republican but not a Trump supporter… > > ~Max I’ve seen you mention this a couple times and I’m kind of at a loss about it; if I started a thread on the subject, would you respond to it? (So as not to hijack this one.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/6 "2019-09-20T14:47:11Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > I’m looking for a place to futiley attempt to reason with Trump supporters - a place where a reasonable point won’t be met with “MAGA!”. Is there a forum where such discourse between Pubs and Dems takes place? Civility is a plus. They didn’t get to where they are by being the sort of people you can reason with. If they’re still supporting Trump after babies in cages and everything else, then they’re impervious to whatever people like us could bring to the table. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/7 "2019-09-20T14:50:39Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I’ve seen you mention this a couple times and I’m kind of at a loss about it; if I started a thread on the subject, would you respond to it? (So as not to hijack this one.) Just PM me with a link if it’s not in Great Debates as I rarely come over to other forums. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/8 "2019-09-20T18:12:33Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I’m a Republican but not a Trump supporter… > > ~Max Have you ever said which candidate you _do_ support? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/9 "2019-09-20T22:00:58Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Have you ever said which candidate you _do_ support? In all likeliness I will vote against Mr. Trump in the primaries and for the Democratic candidate in the general election. I expect neither of my votes to make any sort of difference. My representative is also up for re-election but he likely will not have a primary and I have no idea if the Democrats have fielded a candidate; even if they do, the race will probably be one-sided. Neither my governor nor either of my Senators are up for reelection, so as far as national politics go in 2020, that’s it for me. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/10 "2019-09-21T02:22:45Z")
Political Wire is definitely Democratic leaning but there are some intelligent Republicans there. You’re expected to bring your A game there, obvious trolls get called out immediately. > **[Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/)** > > All the political news in one place ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/11 "2019-09-21T13:36:29Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Honestly - and not to be snarky - the Straight Dope is already one of the most levelheaded places that there is out there. There is strict but generally fair moderating here, most posters here are pretty smart+educated regardless of their political leaning, etc. Sure, there’s name-calling and ad hominem-ing and logical fallacies, but by and large it is already as civil as you can expect D’s and R’s to possibly get in today’s toxic era. Agreed, but are there even Trump supporters here? I’ve seen conservative Republicans who argue against what Dems may have done during various moments of the Trump admin, and I’ve seen people call-out what they see as hypocrisy on a Dem’s part, but I don’t know that I’ve seen a Trump supporter - at least an active poster Trump supporter. Of course I haven’t been seeking them out so I’ve got no reason to believe they don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/12 "2019-09-21T13:40:52Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I think the closest you’re likely to come is probably [r/theMotte](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMotte/). You’re only going to get the very smartest and least trolly republicans. > > That said, I stopped hanging out there a while back because, quite frankly, even the very smartest and least trolly republicans are absolutely insufferable to be around, and even those with the best intentions and the best mental hygiene are still carrying years of bad intellectual baggage along with them. And of course, it being on reddit, the biases of the community become very obvious very quickly - and let’s just say that if you get into a conversation about whether gamergate was a hate campaign or a group of people worried about ethics in games journalism, the person taking the latter position is going to be sitting at +50 and the person who’s actually _right_ will not be. > > Also most right-wingers there are not Trump supporters, and those who are are usually supporters in the “I think he sucks but we do need an authoritarian” NRx bend, which gets really weird really fast. > > This is kind of one of the fundamental problems with trying to engage with modern republicans. I spent a long time looking for good reasons to vote for Trump. There really aren’t any. Most Trump supporters will be grossly misinformed about damn near anything, conspiracy theorists, hardline partisans, or favor policies and outcomes that most sane people would consider horrendous (y’know, those lovely folks who are big fans of Trump throwing kids in concentration camps). Really, it’s a bit like asking where the reasonable, intelligent debate occurs between biologists and young earth creationists - it’s _out there_, but even the best case is pretty painful. Just took a look, and their mission statement is definitely noble. I really wish Reddit had a damn topic directory. How the fuck am I supposed to find that? I know there is an “is there a subreddit for that?” subreddit, but some of the design choices on Reddit absolutely boggle my mind. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/13 "2019-09-21T13:44:18Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Political Wire is definitely Democratic leaning but there are some intelligent Republicans there. You’re expected to bring your A game there, obvious trolls get called out immediately. > [https://politicalwire.com/](https://politicalwire.com/) What made you join a website that requires $5 a month to even see what it is? Not being snarky, I just find the concept incredibly unusual. ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/14 "2019-09-21T14:07:23Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I think the closest you’re likely to come is probably [r/theMotte](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMotte/). You’re only going to get the very smartest and least trolly republicans. > > That said, I stopped hanging out there a while back because, quite frankly, even the very smartest and least trolly republicans are absolutely insufferable to be around, and even those with the best intentions and the best mental hygiene are still carrying years of bad intellectual baggage along with them. And of course, it being on reddit, the biases of the community become very obvious very quickly - and let’s just say that if you get into a conversation about whether gamergate was a hate campaign or a group of people worried about ethics in games journalism, the person taking the latter position is going to be sitting at +50 and the person who’s actually _right_ will not be. > > Also most right-wingers there are not Trump supporters, and those who are are usually supporters in the “I think he sucks but we do need an authoritarian” NRx bend, which gets really weird really fast. > > This is kind of one of the fundamental problems with trying to engage with modern republicans. I spent a long time looking for good reasons to vote for Trump. There really aren’t any. Most Trump supporters will be grossly misinformed about damn near anything, conspiracy theorists, hardline partisans, or favor policies and outcomes that most sane people would consider horrendous (y’know, those lovely folks who are big fans of Trump throwing kids in concentration camps). Really, it’s a bit like asking where the reasonable, intelligent debate occurs between biologists and young earth creationists - it’s _out there_, but even the best case is pretty painful. Most Reasonable Republicans are now ex-Republicans. Count me in that group. I voted for both Bush’s, Dole, and Romney. I’ve voted for Republican senators in my state, too. But no more. I hung on to the party through the 2012 election, and then gave up after that. The Republican party used to have a place for a variety of viewpoints. But now, it’s just a place full of kooks. Trump is the result of a party that’s gone completely berzerk, and that’s given up on governing. So, good luck finding a place for “reasonable” conversation with that group. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/15 "2019-09-21T14:38:39Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Agreed, but are there even Trump supporters here? I’ve seen conservative Republicans who argue against what Dems may have done during various moments of the Trump admin, and I’ve seen people call-out what they see as hypocrisy on a Dem’s part, but I don’t know that I’ve seen a Trump supporter - at least an active poster Trump supporter. Of course I haven’t been seeking them out so I’ve got no reason to believe they don’t exist. I believe **HurricaneDitka** supports President Trump. He will not follow you into the pit, however. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/16 "2019-09-21T16:36:10Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I believe **HurricaneDitka** supports President Trump. He will not follow you into the pit, however. > > ~Max Indeed - HurricaneDitka is an excellent example of a relatively intelligent, eloquent, rational Trump supporter. Take from that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/17 "2019-09-21T16:55:50Z")
This board really isn’t it though. We don’t have many conservatives, and the ones we do have get insulted a lot. For the most part on this board discussions with conservatives end up with liberals talking about what we think conservatives believe. Closest I’ve found are r/politicaldiscussion and r/ask\_politics on reddit. r/neutralpolitics too ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/18 "2019-09-21T17:01:14Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > This board really isn’t it though. We don’t have many conservatives, and the ones we do have get insulted a lot. For the most part on this board discussions with conservatives end up with liberals talking about what we think conservatives believe. > > Closest I’ve found are r/politicaldiscussion and r/ask\_politics on reddit. r/neutralpolitics too Conservatives are free to post on this board anywhere outside the BBQ pit, so they should be free from insults. This board has rules, and the moderation is fairly rigorous. I think the lack of conservatives has more to do with the difficulty that they have in defending current United States Republicans using logical, insult free arguments. If you look at other boards or discussion sites, you’ll see plenty of conservative thought - mostly calling others “Libtards” or saying climate change is a hoax because university professors are making lots of money. These things don’t work here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/19 "2019-09-21T19:29:45Z")
You won’t find very many conservatives _anywhere_ in the US. How many prominent conservative politicians can you name? Kasich is the only one I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558/20 "2019-09-21T19:46:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You won’t find very many conservatives _anywhere_ in the US. How many prominent conservative politicians can you name? Kasich is the only one I can think of. Sure you can. What about the staff of The Weekly Standard? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-board-forum-where-reasonable-intelligent-debate-occurs-between-reps-and-dems/840558.md?page=2)