Is the USA more divided today than 4 years ago? If so, what is the main factor t

1. 59

   phionposted 12 years ago

   Is the USA more divided today than 4 years ago? If so, what is the main factor to this division?
   
   If so, what is the main factor to this division? If you believe it is more united...how so?

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   Attikosposted 12 years ago

   1. Yes.
   
   2. A totally politicized administration with no scruples about inflaming and exploiting partisan, ideological, regional, economic and racial tensions for its own gain.

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3. 60

   Two Minute Reviewposted 12 years ago

   Definitely more divided. Too much information (and misinformation) these days, and too few people want to take the time to cross-check what they see, hear, and read. It all started back in 2000 with the contested Florida elections. Democrats never felt that Bush won the White House fair and square, and they subsequently never showed him the proper respect. Not helping things was the condition of the White House offices when Clinton's people got done vandalizing it before Bush even was sworn in!! Four years later, they invented some shadow consipiracy nonsense around the vote count in Ohio, which if flipped to John Kerry would have given HIM the White House. All in an attempt to de-legitimize Bush to make themselves feel better or some nonsense. So after eight years of liberal Bush-bashing that had long since gone the derangement route, you can't blame the GOP at this point for going off the deep end regarding Obama in 2008. It started with the "birthers" (originally ginned up by Hillary Clinton's people), and has continued ever since. At this point I doubt that we will ever approach a constructive dialog, especially with cable news outlets firmly behind their candidate stoking the flames. Somewhere along the line, people stopped looking at it as their "party" and started looking at it as their "team". As soon as we drop this attitude and start thinking objectively, we will be better off as a country. The problem is, the bad behavior gets all the headlines and political contributions, while the moderate statesmen are slowly being voted out or retiring, so I'm not holding my breath for anything to change anytime soon....

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   Becky Katzposted 12 years ago

   We are much more divided. We have a President that seems to think that pitting the citizens of this country against each other and against certain demographics is a good idea. I find it pathetic and disgusting. This country can be governed without all of the fighting and bickering if we actually have a leader instead of someone who wants it all his way.
   I know, all the liberals will vote me down because I dared to disagree about their President.

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   Cre8torposted 12 years ago

   I think so and feel that it is because we're divided into more pieces as well. At this point, you still have your right and left going at each other but now you have more and more people finding it hard to defend any party because both have proven that they care more about political games than the people they are to represent. Political banter and mudslinging have taken over our elections. Through lies, cover-ups and plain old fashion "I know what I said but here's what I'll do anyway..." the faith in our politicians has just been ruined for many. There are democrats and republicans divided among themselves and those who feel we're just along for the ride but can't seem to find enough common ground between themselves to unite....it's a mess right now and I'm not sure where the end is. Certainly not in this election.

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   KK Trainorposted 12 years ago

   We are probably more divided, but not by much. I seem to remember a few problems between Clinton and the Republican House, but Clinton was more reasonable than Obama (much as I think he was a slug) and was able to get a few things done by negotiating and being willing to give and take. Obama knows nothing about negotiating and give and take, he thinks he should always get his way with no compromise. He is also more than willing to use class warfare and the race card (covertly of course through his surrogates on MSNBC, etc.) to make the Republicans look like the obstructors. Republicans aren't helping themselves much by making statements that can be replayed over and over on the nightly news. They should stick to their principles, as they were elected to do, but try to speak in a way that doesn't make them look like fanatics. I want my representatives to represent me and what I believe, but I want them to be smart enough to play the media at the same time. Otherwise the liberals will always win the media war of soundbites.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The mass media has been 80% liberal since FDR. It's a self-perpetuating institutional trait. Conservatives haven't won on that front in over eighty years. They're not going to now. They should stop worrying about it and be true to their ideas.

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well I agree, but I wish they could concentrate on stating things in a way that can't be used by that media to make them look like fools. As it is, they stick to their ideals and the media uses their own words against them.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Some pols say foolish things all the time. All pols say foolish things some of the time. They can't avoid media exploitation, even falsification (as some media do), to club them with those. They should dismiss it, with the contempt it deserves.

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7. 73

   lone77starposted 12 years ago

   The Rockefellers, Rothschilds and their pals have a plan. It's called New World Order. They've been working on it (at least some of them) for more than 200 years.
   
   They've perfected their techniques, using the laboratories of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia to try out various techniques.
   
   They cannot finish their plans with a unified populace. In fact, their plans call for a greatly reduced populace -- from 6.5 billion to 0.5 billion. If we're divided sheep, then we can be "conquered."
   
   They've taken every opportunity they can to divide us through the media, through politics, religion, science, education, etc. They will create something outrageous, people react, and they provide a solution which creates new problems, to which people react, and they offer yet another solution.
   
   9/11 was one such Problem-Reaction-Solution -- a classic "false flag" operation like Operation Northwoods -- murdering American citizens for political, military and monetary gain. Bush and Cheney made out like bandits.
   
   Until a year ago, I believed the Bush conspiracy theory, but no more. I've seen the science. http://www.AE911truth.org -- scientists, engineers and architects banding together to expose the 9/11 fraud.
   
   Both Bush and Obama have been shredding the constitution, betraying their oaths of office, and the Corporate Party media kool-aid spins it so it sounds "patriotic." Hey, people! That's just what Hitler did nearly a century ago!
   
   And Romney is no better. What's outrageous is that when someone says they want to vote for Ron Paul, Republicans get all rowdy and accuse the person of voting for Obama. (More divisiveness.) Voting for the lesser of two evils is still evil. Choosing between Obama or Romney is like choosing between Hitler or Stalin. Ron Paul helps to heal the nation by legalizing the Constitution and restoring our liberties.

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      lostdogrwdposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      its not Bush, Obama. it the people of the United States letting themselves be divided by the establishment lies. two INVASION,BANKER PUTTING IN PAPER AND TAKEN OUT THE MONEY and letting the fed kill for profit for soon it kill the people for profit

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   pagesvoiceposted 12 years ago

   Okay all of you on the right get your mouse ready to left click down, but here I go. "Yes" we are more divided today and it is due in large part to racism. Whew...there...I said it. The harsh reality is the Obama haters, mostly southern republicans, commenced their assault on Obama before he was even sworn into office. Mitch McConnell, a good ole southern boy, was devising plans to ruin the current administration before President Obama was sworn in. Between filibusters and arm twisting and more importantly big money influence from the Koch brothers, the right have done everything to stop this administration in their tracks. Trickle down economics, deregulation, tax breaks for the rich, a war on women, a war on the middle class, a war on education, a war on unions, a war on same sex marriage, a war on anything and everything that equals inclusion is the mantra of the right...but more importantly, the southern right does not want a black man in the White House. Now isn't that just the oxymoron of the day?

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not a very stimulating oxymoron, but maybe this one could take a prize as the bigoted rant of the day.

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      Becky Katzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I am not racist and have many friends who are black. They don't like him either and look at him as if he is setting civil rights back decades. I just don't like his politics. He wants to spend too much on non-necessities.

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      As a southern Republican I have to say that your bigotry and ignorance are evidence of your complete disregard for the truth. You are obviously no expert on the South or you would know how diverse it actually is; but don't let reality stop you!

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      pagesvoiceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      First and foremost I am far from ignorant and I definitely am not a bigot. However, one thing the right thrives on is calling those with opposing views names. That's OK, I have thick skin, but I call it as I see it. Prove me wrong...please.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry, but that attack you posted is sheer bigotry, political, partisan, regional, racial. The bigot never sees himself in that light, but you're standing squarely in its glare.

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      pagesvoiceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps there's a tad melodrama here. #1. No one was attacked. #2. I have fought against narrow minded racists my entire life and it started with the hatred I witnessed first hand in the south. #3.I gave my opinion. Nothing more...nothing less.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Denial.

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   lostdogrwdposted 12 years ago

   believing that you better than anyone else and believing the bull that the rich tell you and not know that them crook mean you no dam good ans spend billions to keep the people divided over crap. there no united stated, it the I get my and the hell with you states. the problem is one day there be nothing for no one

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    Freeway Flyerposted 12 years ago

    The country was very divided under both Bush and Clinton, but things may have degenerated a bit over the past four years. There may be many factors: an economy that continues to sputter, the increased influence of 24-hour news and of the blogosphere, superPAC money,  the novelty of having a black president with a foreign-sounding name, and probably others that I am not observant enough to notice.
    
    I don't find this president to be any more intentionally divisive than Bush. Karl Rove was the master of negative politics. And I imagine that if McCain won, things would be almost as ugly. It's hard to imagine anyone "bringing people together" in the current climate, and if Obama ever truly believed that unity was possible, he gave up on that goal some time ago.
    
    What frustrates me is that all of this divisiveness has distracted attention away from the main culprits that created the current mess: the members of the financial industry that engaged in behaviors that enriched themselves in the short-term and screwed everything up for most of the rest of us. So conservatives should not be surprised if electing a hedge-fund manager fails to bring much significant change. Republicans will be even friendlier with the financial sector than Obama and his advisors, which is saying something.

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