Political Discussion Forums To Have Your Say

We all have our own opinions about politics. Some of us are more involved and interested in the political process than others are. While we rave and shout at the television screen, we sometimes find our family and friends bored, startled or lost. We political junkies need to interact with like minds or at least with those who are excited about politics whether we agree with them or not. I have put together a list of ten online discussion forums where political debate is welcome and friends can be found.

POLITICAL HOTWIRE - Political Hotwire is a very active group. They call themselves "the web's #1 political community". Here you can debate U.S. politics, world politics, and local politics. They also have a society and culture section where you can discuss religion, history and economics. There's a separate category for veterans and you can write your own blog.

http://www.politicalhotwire.com/

POLITICAL HARDBALL - The subtitle of this group is "Where Wingnuts Get Beaned". And they are not kidding. The folks here pull no punches and are outspoken and downright controversial. I find this forum a little difficult to negotiate because of how it is set up, but if you are looking for hardball politics, it's the place to be. Not for the thin-skinned. Also there are links here to other forums.

http://www.politicalhardball.com/

THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE - This is a gentler political forum (of which I am a member). Issues are discussed in a mostly friendly manner though some topics do become heated. A former MSN group, The American Experience is a relaxed place to have your say, play trivia, share recipes, and make friends.

http://taemove.aimoo.com/

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE - Political Crossfire is a pretty comprehensive political forum venue. They cover important news on the front page where you can link to the discussion forums. They welcome comments on news stories and offer links to many network news and major newspaper headlines. This is a professional and well-organized site you will want to check out.

http://www.political-crossfire.com/

DEBATE POLITICS - The Debate Politics forum takes pride in being non-partisan and treating everyone's opinion as important. Of course this is politics. They believe in civil debate. This group has polls you can participate in and discussion categories such as breaking news blogs, media bias, international news and weird news. Be sure to check out the scandal of the day.

http://www.debatepolitics.com/

FREE SPEECH - Free Speech is one of my favorite forums. It has a good mix of people who stay on top of things and don't shy away from a heated debate. Not too many sub-categories here though there is an Off The Wall section. There is a place to blog and a chat room is available though hardly used. I rcommend this forum for good people and honest discussion.

http://fsa.aimoo.com

U.S. POLITICS ONLINE - With over 7000 members, U.S. Politics Online is a hotbed of intelligent debate. They welcome the exchange of ideas and are very user-friendly. Topics run the gamut from U.S. politics, to international news and headlines. They have a judiciary section as well as environmental, state and local, economic issues, gun rights and popular crime stories and trials. It's a good place.

http://cqcounter.com/site/uspoliticsonline.com.html#mce_temp_url#

CIVILIZED POLITICAL DEBATE - A few more rules and oversight in this forum since they want to keep things civilized. You have to scroll down to get to the debating but it's worth it. They also have running figures of the cost of the war in Iraq and many interesting quotes and cartoons. Links to other groups are also provided.

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/Indices/206964.html

POLITICAL FORUM - This very active group discusses current affairs and world news as well as politics. They have ongoing opinion polls and sections on just about every social issue you can think of. There's an interesting thread about conspiracy theories that you won't want to miss. Political Forum has over 50,000 members and over 2 million posts. There's something for everyone here.

http://www.politicalforum.com/

STATE OF THE NATION - This active forum was also once an MSN group. It is smaller than some of the others in membership but large in ideas and participation. It tends to lean left though the right-leaning members stir things up and create vigorous debate. It is a relaxed atmosphere with a poetry section as well. Worth the time.

http://stateofthenation.aimoo.com

All of these forums and discussion groups are free to join and welcome new members. So lurk awhile, join up, and have your say.