# So does the board skew left? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 25, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457 "2005-05-25T17:23:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/21 "2005-05-25T18:08:03Z")
The _political threads_ on this board lean heavily to the left. Most of them end with the same ol’ six or seven posters slapping each other on the back and congratulating each other on their clarity of vision and hatred of bushco and pubbies. Sometime prior to the last election, I discovered that my satisfaction with my SDMB experience is inversely proportional to the number of political threads I visit. Therefore I don’t read them much any more, and post in even fewer. To those who enjoy them, rock on. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/22 "2005-05-25T18:13:41Z")
**Leans** left, yes. Is “Liberal”- **no**. This board also has a strong libertarian bias- note the strong anti-gun-control leanings. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/23 "2005-05-25T18:13:43Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Is the skewing of the board indicative of a larger issue with the Democratic Party at large? After all, they have Howard Dean, hardly a voice of reason, as the head of their party. There seems to be no room for the Zell Millers and Joe Liebermans any more. Instead, there’s Harry Reid calling President Bush a loser, Al Gore screaming that Rumsfeld and Rice should resign, etc. Are the moderate voices here being drowned out, just as they are in the national political arena? Uh, of course the party has no room for Zell Miller. Zell Miller supported another party’s presidential candidate. I mean, call me crazy, but isn’t that sort of contrary to what a “political party” does? And what are you talking about with Gore? He’s correct if he said so, but Gore is way to the right of the mainstream Democratic voter, I suspect, and it sure doesn’t sound like something he would do. Howard Dean may have been tarred by the media as a crazed loudmouth, but he’s hardly far left as the party goes. Hell, the NRA gave him an A+ rating. I understand you’re conservative, but every left of center is not automatically an extremist. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/24 "2005-05-25T18:14:02Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Pretend for a minute you’re a mod. You mentioned some goals you’d like to achieve, but what specific rule(s) would you suggest? No hijacks allowed? I think this board would suck big time if we had to warn/ban everyone who veered slightly from the topic of a given OP. Jokes, off-topic comments and straight-up hijacks have lead to some wonderful threads. Personal attacks against posters outside the Pit are already against the rules. Limiting the number of threads on a given topic is highly subjective – how many election threads should we have allowed? How many 9/11 threads? > > I’ve only been a mod for a couple of weeks, but I’ve already bumped up against how hard it is try to [set the tone of discourse](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316723) without people feeling like we’re trying to stifle discussion. I have no interest in trying to guide the board in a given direction, political or otherwise. I can’t imagine a more thankless job guaranteed to piss off more people. How about a rule stating that you can’t make **every** post/thread a bash for/against Bush? Seems to me that would at least slow down some of the vitriol that gets spewed into discussions. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/25 "2005-05-25T18:14:23Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Al Gore screaming? > > Zell Miller being posed as moderate? > > What ARE you smoking? I don’t smoke, sweetie, but Zell Miller, an avowed Democrat, has been _persona non grata_ since he spoke at the RNC convention, and I’ve heard clips of Al Gore speaking to church(?) groups about the catastrophe that is this country and demanding the resignations of key cabinet members and calling Cheney a coward. If that’s what passes for rational discourse for the Democrats, then no wonder they keep losing seats. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/26 "2005-05-25T18:14:27Z")
I actually lean slightly right of center, but my anti-Bush rhetoric (if I actually particiapted in such threads) would probably lead folks into thinking I lean left. I think a lot of that goes on. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/27 "2005-05-25T18:14:47Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Is the skewing of the board indicative of a larger issue with the Democratic Party at large? After all, they have Howard Dean, hardly a voice of reason, as the head of their party. There seems to be no room for the Zell Millers and Joe Liebermans any more. Instead, there’s Harry Reid calling President Bush a loser, Al Gore screaming that Rumsfeld and Rice should resign, etc. Are the moderate voices here being drowned out, just as they are in the national political arena? I think so. I believe a critical mass has been reached. A point where the rhetoric on both sides has gotten out of hand. Moderate reasonable voices are considered not good enough to get the point across or the goal reached. One side uses diversionary tactics, the other side retalliates. One side ups the ante with accusations of political strong arming, the other retalliates with accusations of misinformation. Really, neither side of any issue is guiltless. I was fervently hoping that after the election, the politics would relax and we’d find some kind of balance. If anything, the anger’s gotten more intense. Objectivity has been thrown out the window. It isn’t about what’s best for everyone anymore, it’s about winning. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/28 "2005-05-25T18:16:05Z")
{dons asbestos jumpsuit} How could it be that a message board, associated with a site committed to discovering factual truth and exposing impirical reality, would attract left leaning participants and repel conservative participants? How could that be? Hmm, any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/29 "2005-05-25T18:19:43Z")
I always felt like it skewed left, but only in juxtaposition to the other extant sources of information and fora for debate. Perhaps the most well-recognized networks for oppinion and dialectic (purportedly, at least) are Fox News and NPR. The former is the “right-leaning” media outlet, comprised of a bunch of bellicose, sanctimonious blowhards who fully mistake fascist punditry for incisive commentary, while the latter at least makes an attempt to give commentators of opposing ideologies an opportunity to present their views in a manner unhindered and unabreviated enough for them to actually be able to make cogent arguments. The latter, if you’re keeping score, is the “left-leaning” media outlet. Which does the SDMB resemble more? The answer probably depends on if you’re a “conservative” or “liberal”. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/30 "2005-05-25T18:20:01Z")
> [@Xploder](#): > > How about a rule stating that you can’t make **every** post/thread a bash for/against Bush? Seems to me that would at least slow down some of the vitriol that gets spewed into discussions. What percentage of posts about Bush will draw a warning? Do we make a rule specific to Bush, or a general rule about posting on the same topic more than x% of the time? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/31 "2005-05-25T18:21:37Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Maybe instead of looking to the mods, those of you who are annoyed by specific posters could grow a sack and give them a good old-fashioned Pitting? You know, with links and cutting observations about their personal habits? How the hell many pit threads can we start on each person? Because **rjung** got pitted days ago. These assholes don’t care about being pitted. And he told me he doesn’t care about changing folks’ minds, either. Clearly the only motivation is being allowed to shriek and holler (and have similar-minded morons pat them on the back) in any place they’re permitted to do so. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/32 "2005-05-25T18:22:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I don’t smoke, sweetie, but Zell Miller, an avowed Democrat, has been _persona non grata_ since he spoke at the RNC convention, and I’ve heard clips of Al Gore speaking to church(?) groups about the catastrophe that is this country and demanding the resignations of key cabinet members and calling Cheney a coward. If that’s what passes for rational discourse for the Democrats, then no wonder they keep losing seats. Zell Miller may be registered as a Democrat, but clearly he’s a Pubbie at heart. Makes sense that the Dems would distance themselves from him. And do you have a link to any of these shrill Gore speeches? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/33 "2005-05-25T18:23:26Z")
My belief is that the members of the right are becoming more and more quiet because they are finding it harder and harder to defend their political leaders. I think this meme, that there is a cadre of liberals here who are shrill and offensive, needs to be put to some sort of test pretty fucking quick or abandoned as a piece of drivel. I point to the thread about **rjung** as an example: yeah, several people \*_shrilly_ exclaimed, **rjung** is a bush-bashing dick. They provided a weak example, and when pressed for some better examples, could only point to other people “bush bashing,” one of which was just a fucking variation on the old joke about having a bridge I could sell you that substituted George Bush and his social security plan for the seller and the object. Oh, the horrors. Let me run, screaming from this vicious attack. Others have pointed to **Bricker** as a representative of the good conservative poster who contributes a great deal. It seems to me that a high proportion of his posts are nothing more than “I was right,” and “Keep it up but Republicans are going to gain seats in 2006. I guarantee it. Wanna bet?” In fact, a notable contribution of his was a whole thread devoted to “HAHAHAH I was right.” I’ve charaterized it as the longest touchdown dance in history, and I now christen it the “Bricky Shuffle,” after the “Ickey shuffle,” the famous TD dance of Ickey Woods of the Bengals, who had to continue his dance on the sidelines, it went on so long. The dearly departed **milroyj** was a classic representative of the right, and d **duffer** certainly is looking to fill the void of the contentless ankle-biting partisan. There are dozens of others who provide relatively little useful content, but aren’t afraid to post anyways. The OP himself is certainly no master of decorum, and recently posted something so useless and antagonistic, I had no idea of the target or the point. So I asked. In short, this OP is junk, the whining is getting pretty loud, and I am grateful to those who engage in all manner of debate without crying foul based on numbers or on getting back what they give. If you want to try to establish some sort of scarlet letter on the posters you called out, give some evidence and some context. I would not want to see conservatives leaving. I don’t visit Democratic Underground because there seems to be very few people there to check any nonsense. I wouldn’t want this to turn into an echo chamber. By the same token, I don’t mind seeing anyone go whose primary argument is “this isn’t fair, there are more of you.” It doesn’t matter how many people there are, if you are arguing based on a justifiable point. I’m a very empirically oriented person (and I grew up in Missouri). Show me sound evidence, and I’ll believe you. Whine, cry foul, and hurl lies and deceit, and you’ll get an angry reply from me. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/34 "2005-05-25T18:23:47Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > {dons asbestos jumpsuit} > > How could it be that a message board, associated with a site committed to discovering factual truth and exposing impirical reality, would attract left leaning participants and repel conservative participants? How could that be? Hmm, any ideas? Well, in this case, it’s by descending like shrieking harpies to respond with personal attacks and just plain high typing speed to anyone who doesn’t toe their goddamn Loony Left party line. Like I said, I got called a “Bush apologist.” And when has **Elvisl1ves** or **rjung** or **Reeder** ever discovered a factual truth or exposed an **e** mpirical reality? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/35 "2005-05-25T18:25:36Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > What percentage of posts about Bush will draw a warning? Do we make a rule specific to Bush, or a general rule about posting on the same topic more than x% of the time? Any topic. The I-hate-Bushies ain’t the only bad ones, just the most numerous. And we could try 50% as a planning number. I’m serious. These johnny-one-notes have shown time and again that they don’t give a shit what folks on their own side think, so what’s the alternative? Let them make political discussions impossible? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/36 "2005-05-25T18:26:41Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I don’t smoke, sweetie, but Zell Miller, an avowed Democrat, has been _persona non grata_ since he spoke at the RNC convention… Serious question: what portions of the Democratic party platform does Miller support? My understanding (which is limited) is that he’s a Democrat in name only, and has been for years. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/37 "2005-05-25T18:29:54Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Well, in this case, it’s by descending like shrieking harpies to respond with personal attacks and just plain high typing speed to anyone who doesn’t toe their goddamn Loony Left party line. Like I said, I got called a “Bush apologist.” So lick your wounds and move on. Either they were right or they were wrong. How many times can you post about this before I can call you a shrill shrieking harpy? > [@](#): > > And when has **Elvisl1ves** or **rjung** or **Reeder** ever discovered a factual truth or exposed an **e** mpirical reality? Quite often, actually. Most of what I read from Reeder was factually accurate, if often ticky-tack stuff. I’m fairly certain that **ElvisL1ves** and **rjung** have brought fact-based information to threads on many occasions. And, might I note, there are certainly a high proportion of people in this thread who are in agreement with the sentiment of the OP. If they don’t typically participate in political threads, more’s the pity, but it kind of goes against the argument of a vast left wing loony SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/38 "2005-05-25T18:30:30Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > I’m serious. These johnny-one-notes have shown time and again that they don’t give a shit what folks on their own side think, so what’s the alternative? Let them make political discussions impossible? I believe I proposed the “grow a sack” alternative. Yes, you might pit someone and it may not instantly fix everything. You might even get called a Bush apologist. But it’s still more constructive than throwing up your hands and asking the mods to fix everything for you. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/39 "2005-05-25T18:31:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I don’t smoke, sweetie, but Zell Miller, an avowed Democrat, has been _persona non grata_ since he spoke at the RNC convention. _the bastids! what gall! how evil they are for shunning some one who endorsed the other candidate!_. yes, Zell Miller, that [calmed reasoned soul](http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/multimedia/v/zellmillerduel.htm) epitomizes the middle of the road. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457/40 "2005-05-25T18:32:10Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > My belief is that the members of the right are becoming more and more quiet because they are finding it harder and harder to defend their political leaders. Wrong. And the fact that you think that’s the reason speaks volumes about your mindset and your close-minded arrogance. Here’s a link, **tdn**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-the-board-skew-left/305457.md?page=3)