tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post2018790935541096838..comments2023-10-10T08:02:18.073-04:00Comments on Rationally Speaking: Right vs. Left: what's in a name?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-52016990910845130332007-09-29T12:44:00.000-04:002007-09-29T12:44:00.000-04:00But Massimo, shouldn't a rational person hide thos...But Massimo, shouldn't a rational person hide those of his features that would prevent people from voting for him until after the election or later, opting out to gradually help our country through sound, rational decisions. <BR/><BR/>To be a president in the US one has to put on a show regardless of how rational or irrational s/he is.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you that rationality doesn't help win over the people, but if rational people follow that thought path and stay out of the political arena, aren't we just handing over our country and our lives to the monkeys and the wolves?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03877117916846565598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-61880529334919014062007-09-28T12:04:00.000-04:002007-09-28T12:04:00.000-04:00"Left" and "Right" as political terms are irritati..."Left" and "Right" as political terms are irritating, but I find even more irritating and obfusticating is the use of the term "Conservative" to mean a member of the radical right. "Conservative" is one of those words that has very positive connotations to most people: careful, cautious, good with money, standpat. The opposite, actually, of the sort of right wing radicals that are called "conservative" or (ludicrously) "ultra-conservative."<BR/><BR/>Extremism is not "conservative." The balance of public opinion has been pulled so far to the right that a traditional Conservative looks somewhat suspicious, and all opinions on the left are jammed up together in a big undifferentiated ball at the far end of the scale. <BR/><BR/>When the whole scale is devoted to nuances of rightwingnut, it's hard to know what is going on. We need more leftists in the public view so that we can remember where the middle actually is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-19379603115372317432007-09-25T22:24:00.000-04:002007-09-25T22:24:00.000-04:00"Unless a truly visionary person suddenly appears ..."Unless a truly visionary person suddenly appears on the stage and sweeps the election. Anybody out there?" <BR/><BR/>There may be visionaries out there, but our electoral system is so fixed in so many ways, by big money and big media, that they don't really have a chance to become the recognized front runner. And once one of two candidates become the "recognized frontrunner", the game for the candidacy is pretty much over. How did it happen that Hillary Clinton and Obama became the recognized front runners for the Democratic Party? Did it have anything to do, or at least much to do, with people rationally considering their proposals against their opponents, and then concluding that these are the best people for the job? I don't think so.<BR/><BR/>These labels of "left" and "right" can be useful but imperfect shorthand for mapping political perspectives. However, U.S. politics is so skewed to the right, that what is considered "left" is hardly "left". Take Hillary Clinton's health care proposal, which the right has been screaming as so-called socialized medicine. Please! It leaves the medical insurance companies' for profit monopoly completely intact, and will likely benefit them a great deal if enacted.<BR/><BR/>As far as I am concerned, the for profit medical insurance industry is the biggest scam ever played on the American public.Sheldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743116454273042629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-89000207151592681652007-09-25T18:09:00.000-04:002007-09-25T18:09:00.000-04:00Being a neo-libertarian m'self, I gotta say that I...Being a neo-libertarian m'self, I gotta say that I find Ron Paul luaghable. His refusal to update his political philosophy to the extant reality marks him as an ideologue, and I believe we've had enough of that crap.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-59535502614254189402007-09-25T13:09:00.000-04:002007-09-25T13:09:00.000-04:00Ron Paul is not a visionary, he is a run of the mi...Ron Paul is not a visionary, he is a run of the mill libertarian whose only quasi-unique characteristic is being a republican who opposes the Iraq war. big deal...Chris Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00008164143878605805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-22596625075401407472007-09-25T12:32:00.000-04:002007-09-25T12:32:00.000-04:00"Unless a truly visionary person suddenly appears ..."Unless a truly visionary person suddenly appears on the stage and sweeps the election. Anybody out there?" <BR/><BR/>www.ronpaul2008.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-23603360750580790022007-09-24T07:38:00.000-04:002007-09-24T07:38:00.000-04:00Valera,for one thing, because rationality seems to...Valera,<BR/><BR/>for one thing, because rationality seems to undermine, rather than help, one's political chances. Besides, as tempting as it may sound, I still don't buy Plato's idea of the philosopher-king... :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09099460671669064269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-84636793093949194492007-09-23T16:03:00.000-04:002007-09-23T16:03:00.000-04:00Why do rational people like yourself never run for...Why do rational people like yourself never run for (or end up in the?) office?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03877117916846565598noreply@blogger.com