A long shadow over America...

[dazzleman]

I really don't see that our politics is in any more of a mess than it ever was.

People usually vote their fears, not their hopes, and every politician knows this, and uses it.  Roosevelt waged a hate campaign against the wealthy that prologed the depression, Truman was anti-business.  I could go down the list.

Nixon addressed legitimate issues that were of great concern to many Americans.  It infuriates me to hear people insinuate that opposition to crime is racism.  First of all, that mentality is in and of itself racist, because it implies that it is primarily blacks that commit crimes.  It also implies that innocent people should accept crime, and that it is not a legitimate issue.

The bitter truth is that the Democrats had their turn at bat in the 1960s, and struck out miserably.  They campaigned on peace and brought war.  They tried to eradicate poverty, but entrenched it more deeply.  They brought about huge increases in crime through their policies of rehabilitation of criminals rather than punishment.  Without punishment, there's no reason for criminals to want to be rehabililitated.  They dangerously weakened our defenses.

There's nothing wrong with pointing out these facts to the American people.  When the Democrats blame Nixon for some of our current divisions, they are really seeking to deflect blame for their own role in it.

[dazzleman]

I really don't see that our politics is in any more of a mess than it ever was.

People usually vote their fears, not their hopes, and every politician knows this, and uses it.  Roosevelt waged a hate campaign against the wealthy that prologed the depression, Truman was anti-business.  I could go down the list.

Nixon addressed legitimate issues that were of great concern to many Americans.  It infuriates me to hear people insinuate that opposition to crime is racism.  First of all, that mentality is in and of itself racist, because it implies that it is primarily blacks that commit crimes.  It also implies that innocent people should accept crime, and that it is not a legitimate issue.

The bitter truth is that the Democrats had their turn at bat in the 1960s, and struck out miserably.  They campaigned on peace and brought war.  They tried to eradicate poverty, but entrenched it more deeply.  They brought about huge increases in crime through their policies of rehabilitation of criminals rather than punishment.  Without punishment, there's no reason for criminals to want to be rehabililitated.  They dangerously weakened our defenses.

There's nothing wrong with pointing out these facts to the American people.  When the Democrats blame Nixon for some of our current divisions, they are really seeking to deflect blame for their own role in it.

And, of course, your party had absolutely no role in this.

No role in what, the fact that the Democrats screwed everything up when they had all the power in Washington?  I'm not sure what you're getting at.