The further you get from the political centre the more lies you encounter.

[Tino]

I have never met a person that thought of themselves as extremist, true some realise that not many others hold the same opinions as themselves, but they often put this down to the others not being enlightened as they are. I have also come across many people who have presumed that they carry average opinions as they have not examined their own views.
There is also an aspect to this that many people think the people around them are the normal ones and those further away are the ones at odds with the normal people. Thus we get views like western christians are a bit odd, but they are more or less like we atheists, but as there are belligerent muslims so all muslims are belligerent. Or I am liberal middle of the road, therefore those that agree with me are normal, and those that don't are necessarily extreme, all these ways of thinking depict the person carrying them as lacking in self examination.

I'm with jonb on this. Also, I'm confused by "moderates" in the same way that I am with people who say they are "spiritual".

[Puddleglum]

I disagree entirely. Extremists generally lie to avoid any problems when people challenge their core beleifs rather than looking at them and adjusting them. Extremist groups lie about their own 'side's' atrocities and endlessly complain about the others. We in the centre are actually concerned about what both sides do. We worry about what effect our actions have. We realize that there are often no simple answers -for extremists everything is simple , there are black and white answers and when reality doesn't fit they lie to make it fit.

Take any issue you like that is currently controversial in the US and is polarized between left and right .

[downbeatplumb]

There is no "left leaning" in American politics, only slightly less "right leaning".

[TaraJo]

I disagree entirely. Extremists generally lie to avoid any problems when people challenge their core beleifs rather than looking at them and adjusting them. Extremist groups lie about their own 'side's' atrocities and endlessly complain about the others. We in the centre are actually concerned about what both sides do. We worry about what effect our actions have. We realize that there are often no simple answers -for extremists everything is simple , there are black and white answers and when reality doesn't fit they lie to make it fit.

Take any issue you like that is currently controversial in the US and is polarized between left and right .

Yep, I'm seeing that, too.

There's also the big problem that extremists are unwilling to compromise to get done what they need done. As much as I objected to the Republican behavior policing Clinton in the 90's, I can appreciate that both sides were willing to give a little and get a little in return. If not for congress spending millions investigating where Bill put his weiner, it would just about be a model for how our government is supposed to work.

Am I the only one who wishes Bill Clinton could run for president again?

[Violet]

I think most politicians are liars... so comparing 'who lies more' is sorta 'out there' for me.

[Tiberius]

Am I the only one who wishes Bill Clinton could run for president again?

If he were Russian, he could. In Russia, they have the same term limits, but they only apply to consecutive terms, which is why Putin was able to have two terms, then spend one term as Prime Minister, before finally getting re-elected for a third term in 2012.

I think that whilst the idea of term limits is generally good, it shouldn't be so strict. What if you elect a really good president who does wonders for the country? 8 years really isn't a very long time.

[Minimalist]

centrist politicians from both parties should desert

Centrist politicians have been driven out of the republican party. In various primaries anyone who ( shudder ) "co-operated" with democrats was denounced as a traitor to party dogma.

One example.

http://host-53.242.54.159.gannett.com/ne...OP-primary

But Lugar's moderation in both his rhetoric and voting record finally caught up with him. Conservatives in and out of Indiana have chafed at his willingness to work with the Obama administration - a common theme in the campaign ads attacking his record.

[Puddleglum]

I would certainly love to see Bill Clinton back in office. Whilst I am a little unimpressed with his standards , Flowers and Lewinsky really aren't in the Marilyn Monroe league that we expect from presidents you can't have alpha males and not expect them to behave like Alpha males. the fact that he got a rimjob from Lewinsky is neither here nor there , he was a Great president. Our presidents since then have been pathetic.

[5thHorseman]

Am I the only one who wishes Bill Clinton could run for president again?

If he were Russian, he could. In Russia, they have the same term limits, but they only apply to consecutive terms, which is why Putin was able to have two terms, then spend one term as Prime Minister, before finally getting re-elected for a third term in 2012.

I think that whilst the idea of term limits is generally good, it shouldn't be so strict. What if you elect a really good president who does wonders for the country? 8 years really isn't a very long time.[/b]

Agree completely. A 4 year term is not enough time to wipe Karl Rove's acid piss off the toilet seat.


On a side note, did you know Putin won 99% of the vote in a village in Chechnya, and won large amounts of votes throughout Chechnya, and no one paid attention to it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/2...CA20111221

[Minimalist]

Flowers and Lewinsky really aren't in the Marilyn Monroe league

All cats are gray in the dark.