# Why does this board lean Democrat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 24, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626 "2013-04-24T23:00:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/381 "2013-05-01T21:00:13Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’d imagine **december** ( remembered by a few old timers ) might qualify for some in a backhanded sort of way. I found him to be an utter fucking PIA - his method of debate made my teeth itch. But…he mostly stayed within the letter of the law, such as it was. I no longer even recall the exact circumstances of his banning, but I recall disagreeing with it. At the time I thought he got bounced on a technicality, I suspect more than a little bit because he was a massive source of second-hand disruption with the ire and pit threads he generated. He started a [GD thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=205995) saying something like “here is a quote from the President” saying that Iraq had WMD, and asking if it was a lie, IIRC. It was President Clinton, not Bush.And some of the Usual Suspects [fell for it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=206207), hook, line, and sinker. > [@](#): > > I’m pretty sure I once compared his banning to **collounsbury** , who I did like and actually contributed a great deal to this board - yet I thought _his_ banning was completely fair ( and of course **coll** was no economic liberal himself, rather disdained them, but he tended to be lumped in with them because he was not a ME hawk at a time when most conservatives tended to be ). **Collounsbury** was banned and then let back, IIRC. But he hated Bush with the requisite fury, so he (as you say) was allowed to get away with jerkish behavior a great deal more than he should have. Interestingly enough, I am not aware than any conservative has ever been allowed back after being banned - only Bush-haters like **lissener** and some others. Wasn’t it **Demosthyles** who got four or five Final Warnings? 🙂 > [@](#): > > Liberals might get more rope because fewer folks complain about them and they get glossed over more. True. > [@](#): > > But you do have to start edging near the line to get a warning in the first place. Not always. **Euthanasiast** was suspended (and driven away - he hasn’t posted here for a couple of years) because he started a Pit thread that was embarrassing to Planned Parenthood. **Lynn Bodoni** wasn’t about to let that stand, so she warned him for trolling and then made up a rule on the spot to justify suspending him when he protested. So it does happen on that side. And I do think it is part of the reason this board leans Democrat. As mentioned a while back, **manhattan** , who used to be one of the mods, left the boards explicitly because this place is so hostile to conservatives. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/382 "2013-05-01T21:19:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > He started a [GD thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=205995) saying something like “here is a quote from the President” saying that Iraq had WMD, and asking if it was a lie, IIRC. It was President Clinton, not Bush.And some of the Usual Suspects [fell for it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=206207), hook, line, and sinker. Lets not forget why december got into trouble for that one: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3872713&postcount=33](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3872713&postcount=33) [QUOTE=Gaudere] [Moderator Hat ON] Hm. Deliberately lying to the GDer’s about the source of a quote is a pretty jerky thing to do. I consider it downright unethical in a debate forum, and I’m usually a pretty strong proponent of “let people post whatever they like, the truth will out”. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/383 "2013-05-01T22:29:26Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Collounsbury** was banned and then let back, IIRC. But he hated Bush with the requisite fury, so he (as you say) was allowed to get away with jerkish behavior a great deal more than he should have. Well, he _did_ get banned. Twice ;). It’s likely he got a bit more rope than normal, but I don’t think it had anything to do with him being a liberal ( an appellation he’d probably despise ), but more that he was a consistently good contributor on certain subjects and fair or not that’s going to buy you good will. Most often he was vicious to jerks and fools ( unfortunately not always ) but he could never quite contain his impatience to the appropriate forum. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/384 "2013-05-01T22:36:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. He didn’t chime in as a Moderator, nor did he even hint that he was representing the board. > 2. It may have been post #10, but it was only the 7th response(you had posted three times by then)-a bit early in the game to be calling it a pile-on, especially in The BBQ Pit. I didn’t claim that he weighed in _as_ a Moderator. Just the fact that he _is_ a Moderator and added to the pile on was my point. And just look at the tone. Post 10 or not. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/385 "2013-05-01T22:42:59Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > The basic mistake here is to assume that both sides have the same support were it counts, and once again accusing others of being a religionist is a card used often by woo proponents, as pointed before you are entitled to that opinion, not the facts. Your schtick has grown tiresome. But thanks for making my point. We agree on probably 90% concerning Climate Change. But you M-U-S-T C-R-U-S-H A-N-Y O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E M-U-S-T B-E-L-I-E-V-E!!! Can I get an AMEN?!!! ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/386 "2013-05-01T22:54:48Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Your schtick has grown tiresome. But thanks for making my point. We agree on probably 90% concerning Climate Change. But you M-U-S-T C-R-U-S-H A-N-Y O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E M-U-S-T B-E-L-I-E-V-E!!! Can I get an AMEN?!!! The problem is that based on nothing whatsoever but the misinformation you consume you ignore the last ten percent, in favor of nonsense put out there by RW media. And I doubt it could be fairly characterized as 10% in any case. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/387 "2013-05-01T22:58:45Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > The problem is that based on nothing whatsoever but the misinformation you consume you ignore the last ten percent, in favor of nonsense put out there by RW media. > > And I doubt it could be fairly characterized as 10% in any case. …M-U-S-T C-R-U-S-H A-N-Y O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E M-U-S-T B-E-L-I-E-V-E!!! Can I get an AMEN!!! ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/388 "2013-05-01T23:06:14Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > …M-U-S-T C-R-U-S-H A-N-Y O-P-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E M-U-S-T B-E-L-I-E-V-E!!! Can I get an AMEN!!! Screaming incoherently doesn’t obscure the fact that based on nothing but personal preference you ignore what the vast majority of working climate scientists think is happening. If you generally accept evolution, but still think that dinosaurs and man co-existed, you’re still wrong. Pointing that out isn’t fervor, it’s a desire to help you. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/389 "2013-05-01T23:07:36Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > The problem is that based on nothing whatsoever but the misinformation you consume you ignore the last ten percent, in favor of nonsense put out there by RW media. > > And I doubt it could be fairly characterized as 10% in any case. The sad thing is that he accuses others of using religion on a subject that even **bricker** agrees that the evidence is overwelming. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/390 "2013-05-01T23:12:56Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > The sad thing is that he accuses others of using religion on a subject that even **bricker** agrees the evidence is overwelming. Nope. You still cannot comprehend that we agree on the vast majority of climate change issues. My problem is that for you it is a friggin religion. You’re like an old presbyterian evangelist seeing evil in drink, dance and what not. You turn every thread you can into a friggin global warming thread. And everyone must agree with you 100%. If not, they’re the enemy, uniformed. “listen to right-wing talking points” (:rolleyes:), blah, blah, fucking blah. Your schtick is old. Rude. Tiresome. and this is from someone who, as I said AGREES with you on 90% of the substance. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/391 "2013-05-01T23:15:25Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Nope. You still cannot comprehend that we agree on the vast majority of climate change issues. My problem is that for you it is a friggin religion. You’re like an old presbyterian evangelist seeing evil in drink, dance and what not. You turn every thread you can into a friggin global warming thread. And everyone must agree with you 100%. If not, they’re the enemy, uniformed. “listen to right-wing talking points” (:rolleyes:), blah, blah, fucking blah. Your schtick is old. Rude. Tiresome. and this is from someone who, as I said AGREES with you on 90% of the substance. Yeesh. Which ten percent did you decide to ignore the vast majority of climate scientists on Earth about again? Are ice cores a liberal plot? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/392 "2013-05-01T23:33:44Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Which ten percent did you decide to ignore the vast majority of climate scientists on Earth about again? > > Are ice cores a liberal plot? The point here is that someone is not paying attention. I already pointed at creationists that are mostly Republicans and to disparage anti nukes and anti GMO people that are mostly liberal. It is not accurate at all to say (not you) that Climate science is the main item here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/393 "2013-05-02T13:45:28Z")
Finally- a recent concrete example of how bad behavior by liberals gets a pass from almost everyone, including the moderators. In [this thread about why/what some Christians think science has an agenda against them,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=689768) we get the snark and condescension in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th posts, without actually answering the question, and essentially poisoning the well to some degree for further debate. There’s been no moderation telling **Der Trihs** or **Procrustus** to lay off and let the actual discussion unfold at all. So I ask you… if you were someone who was on the fence about the role of science vs. religion, or someone who was fairly religious, but not sold on this message board, would you stick around and read threads where religion is treated like that right out of the gate? Same exact thing happens in political threads- that’s what several of us have been pointing out throughout this thread. ---
**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 2, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/394 "2013-05-02T13:49:25Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Finally- a recent concrete example of how bad behavior by liberals gets a pass from almost everyone, including the moderators. > > In [this thread about why/what some Christians think science has an agenda against them,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=689768) we get the snark and condescension in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th posts, without actually answering the question, and essentially poisoning the well to some degree for further debate. There’s been no moderation telling **Der Trihs** or **Procrustus** to lay off and let the actual discussion unfold at all. > > So I ask you… if you were someone who was on the fence about the role of science vs. religion, or someone who was fairly religious, but not sold on this message board, would you stick around and read threads where religion is treated like that right out of the gate? > > Same exact thing happens in political threads- that’s what several of us have been pointing out throughout this thread. The dimension of conservative/liberal is not identical to the dimension of religious (or christian)/non-religious. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/395 "2013-05-02T14:00:24Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > You’re like an old presbyterian evangelist seeing evil in drink, dance and what not. You turn every thread you can into a friggin global warming thread. And everyone must agree with you 100%. If not, they’re the enemy, uniformed. “listen to right-wing talking points” (:rolleyes:), blah, blah, fucking blah. Your schtick is old. Rude. Tiresome. and this is from someone who, as I said AGREES with you on 90% of the substance. Yeesh. Knock it off. You’re not in the Pit, and you can’t attack other posters in here. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/396 "2013-05-02T14:07:40Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Well, he _did_ get banned. Twice ;). It’s likely he got a bit more rope than normal, but I don’t think it had anything to do with him being a liberal… I don’t know that we necessarily disagree. I would phrase it as saying **Collounsbury** got more slack than any conservative would have. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [May 2, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/397 "2013-05-02T14:10:36Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Finally- a recent concrete example of how bad behavior by liberals gets a pass from almost everyone, including the moderators. > > In [this thread about why/what some Christians think science has an agenda against them,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=689768) we get the snark and condescension in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th posts, without actually answering the question, and essentially poisoning the well to some degree for further debate. There’s been no moderation telling **Der Trihs** or **Procrustus** to lay off and let the actual discussion unfold at all. > > So I ask you… if you were someone who was on the fence about the role of science vs. religion, or someone who was fairly religious, but not sold on this message board, would you stick around and read threads where religion is treated like that right out of the gate? > > Same exact thing happens in political threads- that’s what several of us have been pointing out throughout this thread. Where are liberals getting a pass in that post? ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/398 "2013-05-02T14:10:48Z")
Don’t like Obama’s electoral strategies, you’re a racist: [Why is the Obama administration fighting so hard to legally restrict access to contraception? - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=689795) Don’t like being called a racist, you’re “making personal attacks.” Moderators don’t care. There isn’t anything you can do that creates rules enforcement as long as it’s done for Barack Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/399 "2013-05-02T14:15:49Z")
If you have complaints about the rules or the moderation, **Condescending Robot** , make them in the ATMB forum. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626/400 "2013-05-02T14:16:54Z")
You believe that being anti-religion is a liberal belief? Not. Not not not. Many liberals are religious, many religious individuals have strong secularist beliefs. Fundamentalism may be a conservative core value right now (was not always so), but the converse is not true. What you have documented is the obvious: there are jerks here and their jerkiness is expressed in many subject matters. Most of us ignore the jerks and do not feed the trolls. Sometimes if the jerkiness is expressing an idea that we feel the need to comment on we will engage, but often we do not. Mods here enforce the do not be a jerk and no trolling rules better than many other places but there is still some leeway given. To all. The claim that “conservative” or fundamentalist poster jerkiness/trolling is moderated more strictly than “liberal” or hard atheist poster jerkiness is a baseless conclusion mostly emergent of confirmation bias. ( **Slypork** ’s list of “obviously” offensive to conservative threads was a great illustration of how that bias plays out.) IF there are more jerky liberal posters here because there are more liberal posters, but there are not more liberal posters because there are more liberal jerks. On a per poster basis my experience has been that conservatives here are much more likely to behave in a jerky fashion than liberals are. That is as obvious to me as the opposite is obvious to you, the epitome of YMMV. If anything, IMHO, there are more liberal posters here because there is some moderation against jerkiness here. Again, those with intellectual bents (not equal to college educated or high IQ) are more often liberal minded, and people with such a bent tend to appreciate a board that limits (or at least _mainly_ contains it to one forum) jerky behaviors to a level that does not interfere with actual debate and discussion of divergent POVs. Few other MBs IME do that as well as this one does, hence more with an intellectual bent are attracted here, hence more liberals, atheists, and secularists are. The traits currently co-vary. More intellectuals used to be conservatives and the overwhelming liberal bias among that particular sub-group (one highly over-represented here, especially in GD) not as big in days past but the current conservative movement has been unfriendly to them and hard for them to defend. Do any of you even dispute that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-lean-democrat/656626.md?page=21)