One is often classed as liberal or conservative that is certainly true. That it is never discussed what one is liberal or conservative about is the disturbing part to me. The labels are increasingly empty and meaningless. The bottom line seems to be, One Dollar, One Vote. Vote as often as you like. The "political" side of the show is little more than a show now. Money owns the day.

Thank today's Republican ideologues for the divisiveness and incivility in our politics. Up until Newt Gingrich and his extremist cohorts from Texas our parties were able to work together and get things done. They led a movement that has poisoned our politics. Incidentally, I was somewhat conservative in my youth, but now wear the label "liberal" with pride. and zeal. If you believe in democracy, patriotism, civil rights, and productive compromise for the well-being of our people, you should too. We have not moved to the left. Republicans have moved to the reactionary right.

I think we have extremists on each end, with the vast majority, getting screwed over, in the middle. Don't see how "conservatism" got hooked to the word "Christian". since the conservatives I'm seeing don't seem to want to help the poor, the sick and the down-trodden. And how is wanting to shoot someone with a gun aligned with Jesus' alleged teachings?

I happen to agree with Heinlien on this one. Politics is not a dirty word, it is literally the only alternative to violence. An invention unique to humanity its absence is always associated with the worst of us.

Outside of the small ruling circle of every dictatorship you find a total lack of politics. Outside of a small technical part of any democracy you find politics everywhere. Which would you rather live in? The politics-free North Korea and Somalis of the world or the everything is political western world? Remember the next time someone is trying to convince you of an argument, the alternative to debate is the gun. War has never been politics by other means, war is when politics was absent to too high of a degree.

I agree that bipolarity politics is annoying but to say there is no compromise is simply not true. Look at every major social issue we have faced the past 50 years can you name one that we havent addressed with a series of compromises?

Abortion, gun control, sex ed, religion in public, tax code, Affirmative action, public funding of arts and schools, medical care. All of these were created by the political process and lay halfway between the two opposing camps.

Finally I take criticism with your use of the word "Destructive". The US government is now the 3rd oldest country and bipartisionism is nowhere at all time high. A century ago we had the two parties having real gun battles in the streets during urban Boss era. Can you really compare nasty tweets to gun battles? If our system was so terrible and destructive why has it survived longer than 193 other ones? There are 193 nations on earth who have done a worse job at maintaining a government compared to the "destructive" US.

Well stated my friend.

We are so polarized and herr tRUMP makes it much worse. Our only salvation is bi-partisan legislation.

Blame the total lack of civility on reactionary right-wing and inflexible ideologues in the Republican party. They have decided that they will use big money and any dirty trick they can create to cram their agenda down our throats. They do not really want to rule. They want to obstruct and to dismantle government. Given that agenda, we have more than ample reason to fight and fight hard!

One of the best definitions of politics that I have ever come across was that of the late Dr. Thomas Szasz, one of your countrymen. Szasz said: Politics is the art of making lies sound truthful and murder respectable."

Very interesting