In regards to your comment on Diana Wagman's piece, at what point do you think it's acceptable to judge someone based on their political beliefs? Do they have to be a Nazi? The people Wagman is talking about are hardly the types to pursue reasoned discourse, and I feel like hers is a just reaction to extremism on the American Right.
Ah, this is a question that I was thinking of writing upon last night. Thank you for reminding me. For those of you who've yet to read my quick commentary on a L.A. Times editorial by Wagman, you can read it here.
Trying to find a point of no return isn't likely to be terribly helpful, and pretending that we've ever had a "friendly" discourse in our nation's politics is, well, naive. I'd recommend following Zach Vaughn for more on political history. Needless to say, elections have always been nasty.
My point isn't to advocate against judging, but rather to suggest that people are more than their political beliefs. If I unfriended every liberal friend of mine on Facebook or stopped debating Marxists in class, I'd be able to basically cease thinking. That's not what I'd want. Preaching to the choir is fun and all, but isn't it just a waste of time?
Our country can't just operate with 50% +1 of the vote. Getting anything done effectively requires 60 votes in the Senate, which is impossible when political opponents insulate themselves from opposing discourse.
Don't like the Tea Party or Newt Gingrich types? Go argue with them. Use facts and reason (even if they don't) until you're blue in the face. We're all, like it or not, in the same tribe at this point.
