# Were US politics less hostile a few decades ago? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 29, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902 "2014-09-29T20:45:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/41 "2014-10-02T16:34:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I agree with Bob that there are some who just aren’t worth paying attention to, but there are good thinkers on both sides and it pays to know your enemy. If Democrats lose in 2016, it will be primarily because they didn’t bother to learn how Republicans actually think. So give us three names. Names of ‘good thinkers’ on the GOP side that _actually have a constituency in the party_, rather than being some guy who used to be in the GOP mainstream but that nobody listens to anymore. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/42 "2014-10-02T16:48:55Z")
Actually, I know all I need to know about the GOP. Nobody in the party is speaking out against the “Personhood Amendment” loons. And nobody in the party is speaking out against the “the minimum wage should be abolished” loons. The supposedly sane people with any significant role in the GOP who think there _should_ be a minimum wage, and that newly fertilized eggs _shouldn’t_ be treated as the legal equivalent of you or me, treat their differences with the people who believe the opposite on these points as honest differences of opinion rather than saying, “that’s freakin’ _crazy_.” Now, I know a lot more than that about the GOP, and will continue to increase my knowledge, but that’s enough for a moral judgment. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/43 "2014-10-02T17:41:17Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Your wasting your time. The liberals on here have already decided to place all the blame on right wing Republicans. Where it belongs; see post #3. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/44 "2014-10-02T22:13:00Z")
American politics took a seemingly permanent turn for the hostiler than hostile in the early 1990’s when Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and other assorted republicans decided that ‘Bill Clinton Must Die!’. Not quite literally, of course. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/45 "2014-10-02T23:45:17Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > American politics took a seemingly permanent turn for the hostiler than hostile in the early 1990’s when Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and other assorted republicans decided that ‘Bill Clinton Must Die!’. Not quite literally, of course. You weren’t a Republican in the 80s, were you??? If anybody other than me was around in the 60s-90s, and reasonably sober, they can tell you that there has been no change, except for the names. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/46 "2014-10-02T23:47:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Actually, I know all I need to know about the GOP. Nobody in the party is speaking out against the “Personhood Amendment” loons. And nobody in the party is speaking out against the “the minimum wage should be abolished” loons. > > The supposedly sane people with any significant role in the GOP who think there _should_ be a minimum wage, and that newly fertilized eggs _shouldn’t_ be treated as the legal equivalent of you or me, treat their differences with the people who believe the opposite on these points as honest differences of opinion rather than saying, “that’s freakin’ _crazy_.” > > Now, I know a lot more than that about the GOP, and will continue to increase my knowledge, but that’s enough for a moral judgment. Does this mean more hostile, or less hostile?? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/47 "2014-10-03T00:13:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > So give us three names. Names of ‘good thinkers’ on the GOP side that _actually have a constituency in the party_, rather than being some guy who used to be in the GOP mainstream but that nobody listens to anymore. These are bloggers, who by definition don’t have much of a constituency, but they do reflect current GOP thought: Ross Douthat: > **[Commentary on Politics and Culture by Ross Douthat - Evaluations - The New...](https://archive.nytimes.com/douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/)** > > The Op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat reflects on the intersection of politics and culture. Reihan Salam: > **[Commentary on Politics and Culture by Ross Douthat - Evaluations - The New...](https://archive.nytimes.com/douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/)** > > The Op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat reflects on the intersection of politics and culture. Donald Marron: > **[Donald Marron](https://dmarron.com/)** > > How to tax crypto staking rewards And of course you can find out on Heritage or American Enterprise Institute’s site. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/48 "2014-10-03T10:02:54Z")
You linked Douthat for Salam, by the way. I don’t know much about Marron, but Douthat and Salam do not reflect current GOP thought. They don’t believe Obama wants to destroy America, they don’t believe the Earth was created 6000 years ago, they understand that the ACA is here to stay, just for starters. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/49 "2014-10-03T10:18:54Z")
Then you have a very distorted view of GOP thought. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/50 "2014-10-03T10:42:45Z")
If you want to see how closely republican and democratic POV is, start to examine things from a Marxist perspective… ---
**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:** [October 3, 2014, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/51 "2014-10-03T10:58:53Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Douthat and Salam do not reflect current GOP thought. They don’t believe Obama wants to destroy America, they don’t believe the Earth was created 6000 years ago, they understand that the ACA is here to stay, just for starters. Ever heard of Straw Man? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/52 "2014-10-03T10:59:20Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > If you want to see how closely republican and democratic POV is, start to examine things from a Marxist perspective… But Obama wants to raise taxes on the rich by 2%, amirite? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/53 "2014-10-03T11:03:21Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Then you have a very distorted view of GOP thought. Are you saying it’s not currently GOP mainstream thought that Obama wants to destroy America, that the Earth was created 6000 years ago, and that the ACA is on the brink of collapsing? ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/54 "2014-10-03T11:09:38Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But Obama wants to raise taxes on the rich by 2%, amirite? not really the point… unless you are trying to equate Obama to Marx… ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/55 "2014-10-03T11:36:51Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Are you saying it’s not currently GOP mainstream thought that Obama wants to destroy America, that the Earth was created 6000 years ago, and that the ACA is on the brink of collapsing? Obama destroying America? Not mainstream. Obama being a bad President, sure, that’s mainstream. Creationism? Sadly, there is a mainstream faction of the party that is creationist. However, it is also mainstream to not be a creationist. Any opinion on ACA other than it’s the plan of the illuminati or something is mainstream. Actually, I’ll throw in that Charlie Crist is about the only Democrat in America who says it’s working great besides Barack Obama. Saying ACA is doing great is not a very mainstream position. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/56 "2014-10-03T11:42:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Obama destroying America? Not mainstream. Obama being a bad President, sure, that’s mainstream. Disagree, but whatever. > [@](#): > > Creationism? Sadly, there is a mainstream faction of the party that is creationist. However, it is also mainstream to not be a creationist. What mainstream Republican explicitly rejects creationism? > [@](#): > > Any opinion on ACA other than it’s the plan of the illuminati or something is mainstream. Actually, I’ll throw in that Charlie Crist is about the only Democrat in America who says it’s working great besides Barack Obama. Saying ACA is doing great is not a very mainstream position. No one says it’s “doing great”. Plenty of people say it’s on track to meet or exceed its goals, and everyone except a big chunk of Republicans understands it’s here to stay. Can you name a mainstream Republican who explicitly rejects overturning the ACA? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/57 "2014-10-03T12:18:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > What mainstream Republican explicitly rejects creationism? First, it’s only not mainstream if creationism rules out evolution. If one believes in evolution, but also believes God created everything and guided evolution, then that’s THE mainstream position in this country. And that view is held by about half of the GOP. The other half seems to reject evolution entirely. > [@](#): > > No one says it’s “doing great”. Plenty of people say it’s on track to meet or exceed its goals, and everyone except a big chunk of Republicans understands it’s here to stay. Can you name a mainstream Republican who explicitly rejects overturning the ACA? Charlie Crist did. Rick Scott’s been hitting him on it in ads for weeks now. As for rejecting ACA, that too is not a fringe position. While it may be a minority position, it is not so much a minority position that it’s not mainstream. Any political position with sufficient support can and should have representation in a democratic republic. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/58 "2014-10-03T12:26:10Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > You linked Douthat for Salam, by the way. Wow. I’m on a streak lately. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/59 "2014-10-03T12:57:01Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > First, it’s only not mainstream if creationism rules out evolution. If one believes in evolution, but also believes God created everything and guided evolution, then that’s THE mainstream position in this country. What you describe is a variation on evolution. The idea that humans are apes, and descended from ape-like ancestors, and that all life shares a common descent, whether or not this is all guided by God, are all ideas that are rejected by mainstream Republican thought. > [@](#): > > And that view is held by about half of the GOP. The other half seems to reject evolution entirely. I think this is false. I think most Republicans reject the idea of common descent and ape-like ancestors of humans. > [@](#): > > Charlie Crist did. Rick Scott’s been hitting him on it in ads for weeks now. Good on Crist, then. > [@](#): > > As for rejecting ACA, that too is not a fringe position. While it may be a minority position, it is not so much a minority position that it’s not mainstream. It’s not mainstream in the US, but it is mainstream in the GOP. > [@](#): > > Any political position with sufficient support can and should have representation in a democratic republic. Obviously, but that’s not a good defense of stupid ideas. Creationism is a stupid idea, as is the outright rejection of the ACA, and the idea that Obama is working to deliberately hurt America. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902/60 "2014-10-04T05:17:00Z")
I think it’s been more mean-spirited since the 2000s. I think it’s in part because we now have a 24-hour news cycle of people sitting around in some cases just making shit up and stating it to a viewership that thinks “if you hear it on a news channel, it’s true!” So a lot of nasty opinion gets out there, and is repeated for another 72 hours on other stations. Just, ugh. But since in the 80s I came of age, and now I’m a cynical 40-something, I asked older family members what they think. They also believe that recent years have been much nastier. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-us-politics-less-hostile-a-few-decades-ago/699902.md?page=4)