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Thread: America's bipartisan illiberalism

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    America's bipartisan illiberalism

    Illiberal and even liberal here are not meant as used in the partisan vernacular but as founding principles.

    America's bipartisan illiberalism

    ...Our form of government and political culture demand that individuals tolerate disagreements about the highest good, that the state treats all people equally under the law, that citizens resist the temptation to settle political disputes through violence, and that members of the political community forge a common heritage through a process of unending civil discussion, argument, and debate that's undertaken in a spirit of mutual respect.

    ...The illiberalism can be seen in different forms on both the right and the left. Whether it proves to be a passing trend or an early indicator of something far more ominous has yet to be determined. What's clear is that all those who cherish liberal ideals of tolerance and mutual respect need to be vigilant in speaking out against and acting to thwart these tendencies.

    By far the most alarming development is the willingness of Donald Trump (but not just Trump) to deploy rhetoric and propose policies that sound an awful lot like a distinctively American form of fascism. I don't use the word lightly. It's invoked far too frequently and imprecisely in our politics. Like the proverbial boy who cried wolf, we run the risk of being dismissed for empty name calling when we use the term. But in this case it is disturbingly apt.

    ...This puritanical drive toward a moral purge resembles nothing so much as the efforts of the most radical actors in the French Revolution to break entirely from the sins of the past so that history could be started over from scratch, with Year One. Make no mistake about it: If these Jacobin standards were consistently applied, our public life would need to be cleansed of every person in our history who fails to conform to the moral standards valorized by college-aged left-wing activists in the second decade of the 21st century. Which means that our public life would have to be cleansed of just about everyone (beginning, perhaps, with Thomas Jefferson).

    That is not the liberal way.

    The question all of us need to answer is whether we're willing to let it be the American way.
    Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris View Post
    Illiberal and even liberal here are not meant as used in the partisan vernacular but as founding principles.

    America's bipartisan illiberalism
    Thank you for presenting the non voting anarchist view of the mood of America.

    trump sees no reason to open our borders to millions of foreigners who suck up our welfare and drive down wages not to mention in some cases wanting to kill us.

    i think most Americans agree with trump not the anarchists

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mac-7 View Post
    Thank you for presenting the non voting anarchist view of the mood of America.

    trump sees no reason to open our borders to millions of foreigners who suck up our welfare and drive down wages not to mention in some cases wanting to kill us.

    i think most Americans agree with trump not the anarchists
    Thanks for the thanks but no thanks for posting off topic but then thanks again for making the point of the topic, illiberal intolerance for opposing views.
    Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris View Post
    Thanks for the thanks but no thanks for posting off topic but then thanks again for making the point of the topic, illiberal intolerance for opposing views.
    For years libs like you have not picked a side and have attacked both repubs and dems without taking any responsibility yourself

    but no more free rides for you snd others like you

    If you cant vote republican then you are helping to install democrats like obama and his mistakes are your mistakes.

    His bad actions fall on you as well as him

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mac-7 View Post
    For years libs like you have not picked a side and have attacked both repubs and dems without taking any responsibility yourself

    but no more free rides for you snd others like you

    If you cant vote republican then you are helping to install democrats like obama and his mistakes are your mistakes.

    His bad actions fall on you as well as him
    Not voting is very neutral, neither helping nor harming either side. It's like going to a restaurant with only two items on the menu - fried brains or fried testicles. Since both are unpalatable, you opt for a glass of water.
    In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.



    "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
    Mahatma Gandhi

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mac-7 View Post
    For years libs like you have not picked a side and have attacked both repubs and dems without taking any responsibility yourself

    but no more free rides for you snd others like you

    If you cant vote republican then you are helping to install democrats like obama and his mistakes are your mistakes.

    His bad actions fall on you as well as him

    I'm libertarian so you're wrong from the get go.

    But again, thank you for your intolerance.
    Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler

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    Our society as a whole is becoming ever more controlling. The actions of both parties, municipalities , HOA's etc show this. If the Donkephant is nothing else it is controlling.

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    Peter1469 (11-29-2015)

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    Quote Originally Posted by donttread View Post
    Our society as a whole is becoming ever more controlling. The actions of both parties, municipalities , HOA's etc show this. If the Donkephant is nothing else it is controlling.
    Thats true
    LETS GO BRANDON
    F Joe Biden

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    donttread (11-29-2015)

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mac-7 View Post
    Thank you for presenting the non voting anarchist view of the mood of America.

    trump sees no reason to open our borders to millions of foreigners who suck up our welfare and drive down wages not to mention in some cases wanting to kill us.

    i think most Americans agree with trump not the anarchists
    Mac I have to give you credit for consistency. You are consistent in labeling everyone and anyone a lib who isnt cracked like you are. Heres your cookie
    LETS GO BRANDON
    F Joe Biden

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    Quote Originally Posted by Common View Post
    Mac I have to give you credit for consistency. You are consistent in labeling everyone and anyone a lib who isnt cracked like you are. Heres your cookie
    He is certainly special.
    ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ


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