Leftists/Liberals/Democrats do not experience reality in the same way that Conservatives/Libertarians/Republicans do. I suspect that mental health plays a role in deciding which faction, wing or party to support politically. I see a propensity to engage in "magical thinking" much more frequently on one side than on the other. Brooks explains this better than I could ever hope to:
Americans and Europeans no longer share a common view of the world. Americans are from Mars, and Europeans are from Venus. The essential reason Americans and Europeans perceive reality differently, he argued, is that there is a power gap. Americans are much more powerful than Europeans, and Europeans are acutely aware of their powerlessness.
Something similar seems to be happening domestically between Republicans and Democrats. It's not just that members of the two parties disagree. It's that the disagreements have recently grown so deep that liberals and conservatives don't seem to perceive the same reality.
The Democrats share much of the world view of the European Tranzies. They do not process information, interpret data, and develop courses of action like Republicans. We share the same planet, but live in different worlds.
How long do we have before one side convinces itself that the other side is criminally insane and a clear and pesent danger to the world as we know it? How long do we have before one side demonizes the other sufficiently to kill it's opponents with equanimity, as a sort of distasteful but necessary civic duty little different from shooting a rabid skunk? How long do we have before one side decides the other is not only not fit to live, but must be exterminated immediately lest the world be destroyed? And while the inhabitants of the planet's sole remaining super power are engaged in this bloody work, what becomes of the rest of the world?
If you haven't noticed, I think we have already reached that point to some respect. After 9/11, Michael Moore's biggest gripe was that the planes should have targets that were in republican areas. Over on the "other site", they openly wish for assasinations of high ranking conservatives.
This country has already entered a cold civil war.
To show you how mainstream or out of the mainstream the 2 most notable political boards are, put it this way. This is a right wing board, during the 2000 primaries, most of the members of free republic supported George W. Bush for the nomination, the general populace supported him also for the nomination. He also became president. Over on the other board, now in 2004, the most popular canidates that they have winning the primarys are dean, kunich, and then kerry, even sharpton is doing well with the du'ers. Joe Lieberman comes in last, but nationally, with the exception of Kunich and Sharpton, they are all pretty much neck and neck. They are even out of touch with there own party.
You know your out of touch with political reality, when your political board has people that are nationally coming in last, winning in landslides for primaries, and you can't understand whats wrong with the actual real voting populace.