[SwinneySwitch]

"History shows that we've had similar conditions before."

Reminds me of the early 1800's, right before the Civil War!

[EllaMinnow]

Reminds me of during the Civil War - the election of 1864, to be exact.

[jwalburg]

Nothing has really changed

[raloxk]

I have the very same thought. The US today is polarized like it was before the civil war.

[Naspino]

I'm a partisan because I believe in the Constitutional Republic and I despise Socialism. It has nothing to do with money. Our country became the most powerful on earth in short-order because of our moral beliefs, and the concepts of the Constitutional Republic. Socialists/Communists and attempting to undermine both. They are trying to defeat from within because they lost the cold war.

[Mike Bates]

Smears nothing new in American politics

[RightWhale]

Yes. It appears the battleground is politics and only politics. All the philosophers are in politics; no one is in philosophy anymore. All the warriors are in politics; none are carrying firearms. There are no social theorists; all the theorists and anti-theorists are in politics.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

I admit to becoming more conservative in my later years, likely because I finally had something to conserve.

What a hypocrite...another "conservative" by convenience.

[Iron Matron]

What's going on is much bigger than politics.

Patriots of the United States are fighting socialism. When their voices cease to be enough, I believe the verbal politics will end and the real fight will begin.

[vanmorrison]

I think the rancorous trend in politics is directly related to the fact that every aspect of our lives today is assumed to fall under the purview of politics, requiring some rule or regulation. The old "there ought to be a law" refrain when discussing some social ill or perceived problem has come literally true. There is very little thought or act that is left to the judgment of the individual any longer. So, if every thing that you have and every thing that you do is fair game for politics, then every politician becomes a potential source of great harm to you and yours, and must be fought tooth and claw.

[MNJohnnie]

I am troubled by this "Oh Politics are so horrible these days" Actually, ONE side, The DEMOCRATS are running a completely negative personal campaign. The LEADERS of the Democratic Party are engaging in a campaign of lies, personal attacks and character assassination. The Democrats like to claim "well what about you guys did to Clinton". Leaving aside the intellectual bankruptcy in baseing a justification for Democrats gutter politics on the claim that two wrongs some how make a right, this is just nonsense. Radio Talk show hosts and fringe elements of the Republican party did engage is some shameful smears against Clinton. That is not the same has having the PARTY LEADERSHIP engage in those smears! The LEADERS of the Republicans did NOT attack Clinton on a personal level. The Leaders of the Republican party are attacking Kerry's RECORD and HIS fitness to be President, Republican LEADERS are NOT attacking Kerry's person. ALL the Democrats, from Kerry to Kennedy to the "News Media" ARE attacking Bush on a personal level. So if you are upset by the "tone" of modern politics, be honest enough to place the blame where it belongs. The current leadership of the Democrat party.

[Democratshavenobrains]

To be fair, I don't think many members of Congress, outside the extreme socialists like the Black Caucus, really hate Dubya. The others just act like they do because thats the only way the idiot Democratic base will vote for them and give them money. Look at how bad Lieberman did in the primary.