Centrists are conservatives

[Grokmaster]

In what ways were Reagan and GW Bush extremists in your opinion?

Trump is an extremist because of his racism. But, I didn't see Reagan or Bush as racists.

Trump did more to help blacks in the US than any other POTUS.

Please cite all of his racist policies.

 

[Geeko Sportivo]

Trump did more to help blacks in the US than any other POTUS.

Please cite all of his racist policies.

You go and fuck yourself!

I am not going to waste my time explaining all of Donald Trump's racist ways to someone who eats the peanuts out of his shit!

 

[Lightbringer]

It’s all about perspective. To many voters in the political world, centrists are liberals.

https://www.allsides.com/translator/centrist

centrists are cowards. They have no ideas of their own.

 

[leaningright]

It is understandable, Rev,
why you wouldn't regard all three of those Republican presidents as extremists for some of the reasons that I mentioned earlier.

You don't consider anti-abortion legislation to be misogynist while people with a different social perspective might.

You don't consider certain aspects of theocracy to be as inappropriate as more secular people might.

You don't feel that our minimalist social safety net is as inadequate as most Euro-minded Americans do.

Is it possible that you don't even consider some of the things that Dubya/Cheney did to be blatant war crimes?

Whether it's cultural or genetic, all of our opinions aren't totally voluntary.
This applies to liberals and conservatives equally.
We can't be built with the blueprint for a helicopter and then proceed to function like a cruise ship.

That's why I so strongly question the concept of our diversity being a strength.
We are clearly diverse, but it more likely is a handicap that we must overcome.

Do you feel differently?

Mr. Niblick, this is exactly what I mean. You are correct…it is all understandable as to how we view things and what we view to be left, right or center because of our own personal perspective.

I will address a couple of the things you mentioned from a personal viewpoint. I was OK with the military pushback in Kuwait by daddy George, and I was ok with the initial military response born of 9/11, but when little George decided to go into Iraq he lost my support.

I also am for a strong safety net for those who are physically and mentally unable to support/care for themselves. But if a person is able to work he should work for a living. Where I live we have too many white trash types who have made it an art to live off the government tit. That isn’t how the “safety net” we do have was intended to be used, IMO.

Again, this is strictly my personal take on these two things limited by my perspective. You are very correct, our opinions aren’t always “voluntary” and are often molded by our raising.

You asked if I feel differently…

I don’t know if we are stronger or weaker because of our diversity but I think we are often more balanced by it. A certain number of people would make our society a theocracy, which I don’t want, but there is also a certain segment who would take us completely the other way, which I certainly do not want. So we usually end up with something towards the middle right for a while then get pulled back to the middle left for a while.

I could go on but this is why I enjoy coming here and engaging certain people. Learning their perspective on things helps me understand and more intelligently discuss politics in my circle of friends and family back home.