Remember to be courteous and polite in all of your interactions within the gates of Shrewd'm.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
No. of Recommendations: 5
I am hereby rejecting the false dichotomy of Left and Right. I feel like an "outside creature" in the famous Orwell quote:
"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
We need to replace them with Sensibles vs Nutjobs. Close to "Moderates vs Extremists", except the Sensibles can take extreme positions when those... well, make sense. Such as an extreme "faith" in science not because it's perfect but because real science is continuously tested and is willing to correct its mistakes.
Left and Right nutjobs agree in many abhorrent policies.
-- Anti-vax
-- Protectionism
-- Identity politics (defining people by what groups they are in instead of treating them like the unique individuals they are)
-- Unlimited government spending on their pet ideas
etc etc.
I don't think it's a coincidence that nutjobs like RFK Jr straddle the left/right divide.
No. of Recommendations: 1
"Hey nutjob, come vote for us sensibles"
Think that will help you beat Trump? What is your track record in the last 3 elections?
I'll save the insulting voters in a 50-50 country to you..... and hopefully Trump and Vance pay you well.
Anyhow.... the Right/Left stuff certainly has some realness to it, but there's also soem real bullshit contradictions in recent history.....
*Who helped form the Environmental Protection Agency? NIXON
*Who signed a huge tax increase? HW Bush
*Who signed a civil rights bill that put tons of regulations on business? HW Bush (disabilities act)
*Who added the most to entitlements? George W Bush - prescription drugs for seniors
*Who SHRUNK government most? Clinton-Gore
*Who GREW government most? George W Bush
*Who went to Commie China? Nixon
*Who put a work requirement on welfare? Clinton.
There's a just a few examples where Right/Left is more for cable networks, pod-jagoffs, and radio hosts and not real.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Such as an extreme "faith" in science not because it's perfect but because real science is continuously tested and is willing to correct its mistakes.Yes!...
Pew Research finds that only 6% of American scientists identify as Republicans. The majority—55%—identify as Democrats, and 32% as independents.
When accounting for party leanings among independents, about 81% of scientists either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, while only 12% identify as Republicans or lean Republican.
"Melania and I extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to all the victims of the Chinese hoax in Texas.
Don't forget my Original God Bless The USA Bible is available on my website for the low price of $59.99!
My easy-to-read, large print, Bible INVITES YOU to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time." ~Donald Trump
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2009/07/09/se...https://godblesstheusabible.com
No. of Recommendations: 2
https://godblesstheusabible.comUgh. There are now over half a dozen "special editions" named after Veterans, The First Lady, The Vice President, etc., for $99 each, which means you're getting a different cover and a custom box for a mere $30 extra. Sickening.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Bible INVITES YOU to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time." ~Donald Trump
"You will burn in Hell for all eternity."
Signed, Satan (MAGA mega-fan and donor--of what, not allowed to say)
No. of Recommendations: 1
We need to replace them with Sensibles vs Nutjobs. Close to "Moderates vs Extremists", except the Sensibles can take extreme positions when those... well, make sense. Such as an extreme "faith" in science not because it's perfect but because real science is continuously tested and is willing to correct its mistakes.
Left and Right nutjobs agree in many abhorrent policies.
-- Anti-vax
-- Protectionism
-- Identity politics (defining people by what groups they are in instead of treating them like the unique individuals they are)
-- Unlimited government spending on their pet ideas
etc etc.
I do believe you nailed it.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Think that will help you beat Trump? What is your track record in the last 3 elections?
I think the point is that we have extremists on both ends. Often with similar views on many things (e.g. anti-vax). And to your point, yes...your bullets were correct. Which, I think, sort of reinforces the point that we have sensible folks, and we have hair-on-fire radical folks. Somehow the Reps have normalized their version of "crazy" (MAGA). Dems still lose elections when their "crazies" stay at home because they don't see any difference between the Felon and Harris (for example), or because Bernie wasn't the candidate, or some other nonsense reason.
Left/right is convenient, and somewhat tribal. But, both you and the OP seem to agree it's not really real. I've been thinking that, too. The Reps used to be "the right", advocating limited government, and favoring big business. MAGA has taken them over, and that tradition has changed dramatically (even though the Reps are still finding a way to screw the little guy).
No. of Recommendations: 2
So apparently, I am not some original thinker, many others have hit on this very idea in the past. According to ChatGPT, and I apologize for quoting AI, but I think it really did clarify more things than I ever could.
Quote:
The horseshoe theory of politics is the idea that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite ends of a linear political spectrum, resemble each other more closely than they do the political center—like the ends of a horseshoe bending toward each other.
Key Points:
• Shape: Instead of a straight left–right line, political ideologies are shaped like a horseshoe:
far-left ↩ center ↪ far-right
• Similarity of Extremes: Both ends may:
• Show authoritarian tendencies
• Be anti-establishment
• Reject liberal democracy or capitalism
• Use similar rhetoric about revolution, enemies, or elites
• Difference in Ideals: While their goals differ (e.g., socialism vs. nationalism), their methods or tactics may overlap (e.g., censorship, suppression of dissent, violent protest).
Example:
• Both far-left communists and far-right fascists in 20th-century Europe:
• Opposed parliamentary democracy
• Advocated for centralized power
• Employed propaganda and political violence
Criticism:
• Many political scientists consider it oversimplified or misleading
• Critics argue it ignores key ideological differences between left and right
• It can be used as a centrist talking point to delegitimize both sides equally
Bottom Line:
The horseshoe theory is a metaphor suggesting that political extremes can resemble each other in practice, even if their ideologies differ—though it’s debated how useful or accurate that metaphor really is.
No. of Recommendations: 2
The horseshoe theory is a metaphor suggesting that political extremes can resemble each other in practice, even if their ideologies differ—though it’s debated how useful or accurate that metaphor really is.
It’s a useful lens through wich to view the political spectrum.
But like all lenses, it renders some aspects with clarity, while it obscures others (folks who have two pairs of glasses- one for reading and one for driving…. Can intuitively understand the metaphor)
No. of Recommendations: 0
But like all lenses, it renders some aspects with clarity, while it obscures others
Politics exists to serve humanity. When you take it to the extreme, it does not.
Having billionaires pay a smaller share of taxes in percentage terms than working people, obviously does not serve humanity. But neither does UBI that incentivizes able-bodied able minded adults to not work. If you don't believe me, ask Jim(mungofitch) whose French maid cried because she could make more money doing nothing. I would rather have EITC than UBI. I don't believe in terms like government giveaways, because the government does not generate money, it just robs Peter to pay Paul. The only question is is Peter really being robbed or is he paying his fair share for the social compact?
On this board, you're mostly for taking money from the rich
to pay the poor. I don't think that's the right lens either. You should be thinking about working versus idle instead of rich versus poor. I concede that there are more idle rich than there are idle poor just because of how many works. Regardless, you guys should be advocating for the working folks and not the idle ones. Without working people, rich or poor, a society cannot survive.
(to clarify, obviously I'm excluding people who cannot work, like the very young, or the very old, or the disabled.)
No. of Recommendations: 0
Yeesh. Sorry for the typos.
Cried -> quit
Many -> money
No. of Recommendations: 1
The horseshoe theory of politics is the idea that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite ends of a linear political spectrum, resemble each other more closely than they do the political center—like the ends of a horseshoe bending toward each other.
This has always been pretty obvious.
And now the American far right has wrapped itself so far around the extreme that they might as well be the communists they hysterically scream about.
Right Dope?
