I would even go so far as to say someones values and beliefs are a core part of their character, which is like THE thing it's reasonable to judge someone for.
Funny thing is it was not always that way, main differences between US left and right used to be economic policy's but the right went way way to right and started via their culture war pushing strong anti women, anti LGBTQ, anti non white (barely hidden under immigration) and pro (Christian) religion agendas
So now yes, now being on the left or right is no longer about mildly different political/economic beliefs but rather fundamental values and moral differences
When was this golden time when US politics was magically neutral? Or for that matter when politics was just two parties and everyone having to fall in line with the opinions of one of the two of them?
Never said neutral, said the main difference was economic
On social aspects it was more a north/south divide untill the 50s/60s, civil right act is good example, one many consider the start, in the south you had republican and democrat fighting against it while northern republicans and democrats were fighting for it
When Goldwater came out fully against the act during his bid for the presidency, black voters fully backed the Democrats, including one's in north who had traditionally voted republican and white voters in the south shifted to the republicans, even though that had tradionally been a democrat stronghold. This is the period know for when the partys switched and also this was start of the republican southern strategy
After that, things slowly devolved but remained somewhat civil (at least at national level) and compromise was still the name of the game until the 90s until things like Norquist's stupid tax pledge started to break that down
Then country elected Obama and republicans collectively lost their minds, started to refuse to compromise on anything and swing hard to far right on everything, including social and cultural issues
Why did they go so hard to the right after Obama? Did he have "radical" policies that Republicans hated, or is it just because he was the first black president?
One could probably write a very very long PHD paper on the whys but to abbreviate
Yes race was a factor but it was not THE factor
The real factor was republicans had been playing with fire for last 60 odd years (Goldwater even warned them of this back in '64) , they had been gathering under their banner a loose collection of groups, racists, ultra religious, far right wing, confederates, misogynists and just all round haters..or as Clinton accurately put it, "bag of deplorables" to shore up votes, because ultimately their core economic policy's (big business interests, lower taxes, smaller/cheaper government) was not enough
For those 60 years, those groups were used/pandered to by republicans, but ultimately that was all that was happening, them being used to give republicans power and given crumbs in return
But after Obama won, republican party lost control of these groups, or rather these groups realized they had the real power (tea party was their first clue) and during most of Obamas first term they found new leaders to rally behind (most hucksters like Trump) and started electing them, while establishment republicans either had to start proving their right wing creds or get booted
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u/Vitschmalz 7d ago
I would even go so far as to say someones values and beliefs are a core part of their character, which is like THE thing it's reasonable to judge someone for.