Political Polarization

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls it “wise” to bar Democrats who move to red states from voting

https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-it-wise-bar-democrats-who-move-red-states-voting-1664155

On Wednesday, the Georgia congresswoman posted on Twitter that “brainwashed people” who move from California and New York need a “cooling-off period.” Her comment was in response to a Twitter user who wrote he supports discriminating against Democratic transplants, including restricting their ability to vote for a period of time. He also wrote that they should have to “pay a tax for their sins.”

Republicans are waging full scale war on our voting institutions. This isn’t some off hand joke, it’s a statement from an elected US official. She deadass believes this, and odds are good that swaths of republicans do as well.… Continue reading

What’s crazy is that this polarization is pretty new in a lot of ways

like last 20-30 years new. Americans always had their disagreements but in the past most people could at least agree on the problems we needed to address. Now we can’t agree on the problems much less the solutions.

Polarization in the house:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VBIRAXKYPYYQTMDV3LAWFREIDA.png&w=530

There was always a lot of polarization and differences – they were just regional in the past. And not tied to party affiliation, either. A Democrat in Alabama would be quite different than a Democrat in New York City. Probably more different than Democrats and Republicans in the same state.

Now everyone is all mixed together, and identify more with groups they connect to online than to their neighbors.… Continue reading

How can 42 percent of Americans still support the worst president in our history?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/13/how-can-42-percent-americans-still-support-worst-president-our-history/

I sure have made use of this quote a lot recently:

His fans don’t care that he didn’t pay taxes. His fans don’t care if he cheated on his taxes. His fans don’t care that he lies about his taxes. His fans care that he hates, and tries to hurt, the same people they hate.

Trump has made the confirmation of 200 federal judges, including two Supreme Court justices, a significant part of his reelection campaign. But Hawley said religious conservatives right now are “very depressed,” particularly after Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump pick, wrote the decision providing LGBTQ workers with federal workplace protections.

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