# US voters: Are you afraid of the other side, and to what extent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 1, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659 "2021-11-01T23:43:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/161 "2022-11-02T18:43:04Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’m not a fan of Rittenhouse or the KKK, but Rittenhouse was at least shooting in self-defense. Yeah, kind of like how a cop escalates a situation then has to kill the black man in self defense. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/162 "2022-11-02T18:43:47Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Any suggestions? Covid Karens ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/163 "2022-11-03T02:12:34Z")
Though I’m a Canadian I truly do fear the GOP. I fear them winning the house, the senate, and the presidency (I think I have this right, if not feel free to correct me), and then deciding that their northern neighbours are a bunch of woke, socialist pussies and start hankering for manifest destiny. Our own government, meanwhile, is naively sleepwalking through this. ---
**Author:** ![TheTooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/919ad9/32.png) [@TheTooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTooth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/164 "2022-11-03T02:27:43Z")
I often feel like I live in scenic Lebensraum, Alberta myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/165 "2022-11-03T02:47:53Z")
Would you care to point out a cite of antifa beating, killing, someone, or starting a riot? Also, as far as White Supremacist all bark no bite may I remind you of Charlottesville? These people are demonstrably violent. Antifa? Show me. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/166 "2022-11-03T03:34:25Z")
It’s worth noting that most of the “ANTIFA” presence on social media was the result of an organized right wing troll campaign. Here’s a good article on the subject [https://mediamanipulation.org/case-studies/butterfly-attack-origins-fake-antifa-social-media-accounts](https://mediamanipulation.org/case-studies/butterfly-attack-origins-fake-antifa-social-media-accounts) Yes, liberals sometime counterprotest at right wing events. And there are some left wing gun groups out there, Redneck Revolt and John Brown Gun Club come to mind, but the local branches are generally pretty small, and they generally don’t refer to themselves as “antifa”. I challenge anyone to find a violent incident regarding these groups that happened outside of a counter protest situation. Although one of them did hit [Andy Ngo](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/andy-ngo-right-wing-troll-antifa-877914/), a right wing provocateur posing as a journalist “antifa Hunter”, in the head with a “silicone rod”. > **[Andy Ngo wants you to know he was not concussed by a flying dildo](https://www.dailydot.com/debug/andy-ngo-dildo/)** > > Andy Ngo, who frequently reports on the ongoings of antifa, wants you to know he did not get hit with a rubber dildo. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/167 "2022-11-03T04:29:46Z")
The GOP controlled the House, Senate, and White House from 2003-2007, not that long ago. Did we invade Canada, and I missed it? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/168 "2022-11-03T04:55:10Z")
That was a very different GOP. I don’t think they tipped toward fascism until Obama became president. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/169 "2022-11-03T05:43:17Z")
They controlled the House, Senate, and White House from 2017 to 2019. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/170 "2022-11-03T11:45:18Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > The GOP controlled the House, Senate, and White House from 2003-2007, not that long ago. Did we invade Canada, and I missed it? I’m talking about the circus of conspiracy theorists, election deniers, anti-vaxxers etc, as opposed to when the GOP at least acted like relatively normal people. The current gang, to me anyway, is frightening. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/171 "2022-11-03T12:10:17Z")
> [@gnarator](#): > > They controlled the House, Senate, and White House from 2017 to 2019. …and the President of the United States declared that Canada was threat to US national security because of the trade wars he decided to start with Canada. So, yeah, at least some Canadians were a bit worried about how bad the rhetoric might get. Some still are. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/172 "2022-11-03T12:17:17Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Closed primaries does not mean that only Republicans can vote in Republican primaries, nor that only Democrats can vote in Democratic primaries. It just means that you have to register for that party in advance, rather than choosing at the polling place. I’m not following. If you have to register for that party in advance, that makes you a member of the party as objectively as it gets in America. Although I guess an exception would be the core party leadership, but that would mean that there are only a few-ten thousand “real” Democrats and Republicans in America. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/173 "2022-11-03T13:00:03Z")
Ayup. Lindsey Graham famously said: “The demographics race we’re losing badly … [Republicans are] not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term.” So the strategy for the 2016 election, loosely characterized, became the political equivalent of “Pulp Fiction’s” “Bring out the gimp.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/174 "2022-11-03T13:26:20Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’m not following. If you have to register for that party in advance, that makes you a member of the party as objectively as it gets in America. Although I guess an exception would be the core party leadership, but that would mean that there are only a few-ten thousand “real” Democrats and Republicans in America. You can register for a party without actually agreeing with that party, or actually supporting it. Register Republican, vote in their primary, but then vote Democrat in the general election. You’d be an _actual_ RINO. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/175 "2022-11-03T13:37:32Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If you have to register for that party in advance, that makes you a member of the party as objectively as it gets in America. If I’m registered to the Republican party, but donate to the Democratic party, what objective measure would you use to say what _my_ political leaning are? So, yes, if I register Republican, then I am a registered Republican, that doesn’t mean that I agree with or support any of their policies, it just means that I vote in their primaries. Now, let’s say you live in an area where the Republican nominee is guaranteed to win any general election. What benefit do you get from voting in the Democratic primary? By voting in the Republican primary, you at least get a voice. Does that make you a Republican? And to the point I made over a month ago that you are now responding to, if you are a Republican, and you want to hurt the Democrat’s chances in the general, why not register with the Democratic party so that you can nominate the most unelectable? Would that make you a Democrat? If you want to say that, yes, technically, you _are_ the party you are registered with, then at most, as @Horatius says, it makes you a RINO or DINO. That’s a valid opinion to have, but I_M_HO, it’s the party you agree with and support that defines who you are, registration is just paperwork. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/176 "2022-11-03T13:50:09Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > The GOP controlled the House, Senate, and White House from 2003-2007, not that long ago. Did we invade Canada, and I missed it? The thread is about being afraid, not about having demonstrated a likelihood. I find Canadian fear of US violence pretty plausible, and was already wondering about it. And Trump did talk about a military incursion into our neighbor Mexico. To me, at this early point, Trump looks like the most likely next president. For that matter, could we rule out the possibility of the GOP pushing for a Wall to the north? Look at all the noise about Pelosi’s attacker being an undocumented Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/177 "2022-11-03T14:16:42Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > If I’m registered to the Republican party, but donate to the Democratic party, what objective measure would you use to say what _my_ political leaning are? You’re still only allowed to vote for one party in the KY primary, which is the party that you are registered to, which is the context of my reply. Your reply saying that you merely have to register with the party before the primary doesn’t have to do with the fact that cross-party voting isn’t possible. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/178 "2022-11-03T14:23:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Your reply saying that you merely have to register with the party before the primary doesn’t have to do with the fact that cross-party voting isn’t possible. So, your opinion is that the only thing that matters is the party that you are registered with, not the one you donate to, support, and vote for in the general? Like I said, that’s a valid opinion, but it’s not one I agree with, nor one I find very useful. I suppose we will have to agree to disagree on whether registering with a party means anything more than what primary you vote in. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/179 "2022-11-03T14:29:57Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > For that matter, could we rule out the possibility of the GOP pushing for a Wall to the north? Look at all the noise about Pelosi’s attacker being an undocumented Canadian. I don’t think anyone in Canada is concerned about a wall, we mostly worry about the US deciding it wants all our resources like water and oil. That’s why Trump’s rhetoric about us being a threat to US national security because we didn’t just roll over on his trade demands was so concerning - it fed directly into our most common paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659/180 "2022-11-03T18:49:15Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If you have to register for that party in advance, that makes you a member of the party as objectively as it gets in America. As a former alternate party activist, I have to say we distinguished between those who were members of the party and those who were merely registered in it. The main criteria was whether they gave us money and formally applied for membership. There were countless hundreds of thousands of others we wouldn’t hear from at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-voters-are-you-afraid-of-the-other-side-and-to-what-extent/953659.md?page=10)