The Many Faces of US Politics...

[J70]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

No idea.

I do find American politics itself much more negative and sensationalist though than Irish or British. Unless things have changed in the last decade, you don't see those ridiculous negative political ads on TV in Britain and Ireland. Politicians are not constantly in campaign mode and nor are they always grandstanding about this or that. We are 17 months out from the US presidential election and there's already 20 declared candidates campaigning, and have been for 6 months!

Politics,  for better or worse, just seems to be a much bigger, more divisive, aspect of life in America compared to home. Yes, now and again an issue like gay marriage or water rates will engage the Irish public, but mostly there is somewhat of a consensus,  or if there isn't,  people are much more polite about it.

In the US, there are lots of people who actively loathe fellow citizens,  even people they know, because they have the "wrong" political or religious or whatever outlook. Perhaps it an outgrowth of the ethnic diversity and historical fear mongering.

The cable news channels and talk radio feed off that, while also perpetuating it, by sensationalizing and exaggerating everything political. And then they throw in the voyeuristic stuff to supplement the ratings grab.

[whitey]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

I believe that they are funded at least partially with public monies. If they became overly biased one way or the other, it would be very easy for the offended party to cut funding the. Ext time they get into power. As a result, at least in my experience they have been middle of he road, albeit with a slight left of center flavor

[omaghjoe]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

I believe that they are funded at least partially with public monies. If they became overly biased one way or the other, it would be very easy for the offended party to cut funding the. Ext time they get into power. As a result, at least in my experience they have been middle of he road, albeit with a slight left of center flavor

As I said b4 that might be the case for RTE and BBC but not for Sky. Your feeling that they are left of center might be more to do with what your used to in America where politics from a universal western perspective is well to the right.

[omaghjoe]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

No idea.

I do find American politics itself much more negative and sensationalist though than Irish or British. Unless things have changed in the last decade, you don't see those ridiculous negative political ads on TV in Britain and Ireland. Politicians are not constantly in campaign mode and nor are they always grandstanding about this or that. We are 17 months out from the US presidential election and there's already 20 declared candidates campaigning, and have been for 6 months!

Politics,  for better or worse, just seems to be a much bigger, more divisive, aspect of life in America compared to home. Yes, now and again an issue like gay marriage or water rates will engage the Irish public, but mostly there is somewhat of a consensus,  or if there isn't,  people are much more polite about it.

In the US, there are lots of people who actively loathe fellow citizens,  even people they know, because they have the "wrong" political or religious or whatever outlook. Perhaps it an outgrowth of the ethnic diversity and historical fear mongering.

The cable news channels and talk radio feed off that, while also perpetuating it, by sensationalizing and exaggerating everything political. And then they throw in the voyeuristic stuff to supplement the ratings grab.

Spot on J70 I agree with almost everything you say there. Esp the stuff on how people's opinion of other is formed on a few political issues and then demonise them like they are devil himself. Very sad and actually infuriating. Both "sides" in America are equally as bad at this

[The Iceman]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

No idea.

I do find American politics itself much more negative and sensationalist though than Irish or British. Unless things have changed in the last decade, you don't see those ridiculous negative political ads on TV in Britain and Ireland. Politicians are not constantly in campaign mode and nor are they always grandstanding about this or that. We are 17 months out from the US presidential election and there's already 20 declared candidates campaigning, and have been for 6 months!

Politics,  for better or worse, just seems to be a much bigger, more divisive, aspect of life in America compared to home. Yes, now and again an issue like gay marriage or water rates will engage the Irish public, but mostly there is somewhat of a consensus,  or if there isn't,  people are much more polite about it.

In the US, there are lots of people who actively loathe fellow citizens,  even people they know, because they have the "wrong" political or religious or whatever outlook. Perhaps it an outgrowth of the ethnic diversity and historical fear mongering.

The cable news channels and talk radio feed off that, while also perpetuating it, by sensationalizing and exaggerating everything political. And then they throw in the voyeuristic stuff to supplement the ratings grab.

Spot on J70 I agree with almost everything you say there. Esp the stuff on how people's opinion of other is formed on a few political issues and then demonise them like they are devil himself. Very sad and actually infuriating. Both "sides" in America are equally as bad at this

The way I look at it as someone not eligible to vote is this:
Republicans cling to religious morals that mean so much to so many - like the protection of life. But aside from that their policies are designed to support the rich and forget everyone else.
Democrats have fairly decent policies but their morals are out the window.

I see the republicans bending a little this campaign to win more votes. It happened during the last campaign with Romney who was pro-life then changed his view towards the end. We'll see more of the same this time around. Watch for the green party to gain more traction as a result.

[J70]

From what I've heard, Fox News are spinning this massacre as an "attack on faith" and down playing the racist aspect of it.

Shocked, I tell ya!

[omaghjoe]

Yeah not saying they arent sensationalist I wouldn't be watching it in a big hurry put it like that.

But why is it that they don't turn into sensationalist opinionated self righteous retards that American news networks do and the tabloids do? Is there standards they have to adhere to?

No idea.

I do find American politics itself much more negative and sensationalist though than Irish or British. Unless things have changed in the last decade, you don't see those ridiculous negative political ads on TV in Britain and Ireland. Politicians are not constantly in campaign mode and nor are they always grandstanding about this or that. We are 17 months out from the US presidential election and there's already 20 declared candidates campaigning, and have been for 6 months!

Politics,  for better or worse, just seems to be a much bigger, more divisive, aspect of life in America compared to home. Yes, now and again an issue like gay marriage or water rates will engage the Irish public, but mostly there is somewhat of a consensus,  or if there isn't,  people are much more polite about it.

In the US, there are lots of people who actively loathe fellow citizens,  even people they know, because they have the "wrong" political or religious or whatever outlook. Perhaps it an outgrowth of the ethnic diversity and historical fear mongering.

The cable news channels and talk radio feed off that, while also perpetuating it, by sensationalizing and exaggerating everything political. And then they throw in the voyeuristic stuff to supplement the ratings grab.

Spot on J70 I agree with almost everything you say there. Esp the stuff on how people's opinion of other is formed on a few political issues and then demonise them like they are devil himself. Very sad and actually infuriating. Both "sides" in America are equally as bad at this

The way I look at it as someone not eligible to vote is this:
Republicans cling to religious morals that mean so much to so many - like the protection of life. But aside from that their policies are designed to support the rich and forget everyone else.
Democrats have fairly decent policies but their morals are out the window.

I see the republicans bending a little this campaign to win more votes. It happened during the last campaign with Romney who was pro-life then changed his view towards the end. We'll see more of the same this time around. Watch for the green party to gain more traction as a result.

If you call lining the pockets of the rich moral... and most democrats aren't that loose

But Yeah the overall mood seems to be turning more towards individual rights throughout the Western World. You should have the opportunity to do whatever you want, as long as everyone else as the same right.

This sounds all fine and well but at what point will the second part of the above sentence be overtaken by the first? And the individual demands more and more for themselves forgetting about the neighbours and friends and society as a whole.

Its only actually by using values of understanding, empathy, mercy, forgiveness that allow us to work together and build a successful society, which in turn allows us the luxury of individual freedoms. But then the cruel twist is of course if that luxury is indulged too excessively it means the original values will be left by the way side and thus cause society to come apart at the seams.

[muppet]

[J70]

Freedom!  2nd amendment!

[omaghjoe]

Ahh Freedom ehh

I also once seen that as an explanation (FB comment)  for why America doesn't have maternity leave

Also on those graphs comparing "wealthy countries" to America in terms of gun crime and so on are a good demonstration of the flawed thinking that wealth has something to do with crime rate, completely unrelated. Unless you want to compare wealth disparity....

[AZOffaly]

Cop in New Orleans shot by a prisoner yesterday. It just never ends over there.

[muppet]

Cop in New Orleans shot by a prisoner yesterday. It just never ends over there.

30,000 a year roughly.

No developed country comes remotely close.

The notion in the NRA that elderly women could have saved themselves by carrying guns to church is beyond idiotic. Even the Wild West, as portrayed in the daftest of movies, had some limits.

[whitey]

Interesting chart.......but completely meaningless when given without context

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/03/22/gun-deaths-shaped-by-race-in-america/


So taking a step back for a moment....I am a white person and I live in MA.....the death rate for my demographic is 4 per million.....which is probably lower than the rate in Ireland.

[J70]

Interesting chart.......but completely meaningless when given without context

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/03/22/gun-deaths-shaped-by-race-in-america/


So taking a step back for a moment....I am a white person and I live in MA.....the death rate for my demographic is 4 per million.....which is probably lower than the rate in Ireland.

Any country is going to have lower criminal death and injury rates among wealthier segments of its society. I'm sure violent crime and murder rates are much higher in Tallaght or Darndale than they are in Foxrock or Dalkey.

What would the rate in Ireland be compared to the rate with your demographic in the MA or the US overall?

The stats clearly show reflect the ludicrous gun fetish that exists in the US which is not replicated in any other western country. If all those guns weren't out there and freely available, legally or not, those figures would be nowhere near what they are.

[omaghjoe]

Interesting chart.......but completely meaningless when given without context

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/03/22/gun-deaths-shaped-by-race-in-america/


So taking a step back for a moment....I am a white person and I live in MA.....the death rate for my demographic is 4 per million.....which is probably lower than the rate in Ireland.

Is that death rate or murder rate, what are we talking about here?

Have you any stats to back that up? Do you also see yourself as just a Bostian...not American, and White.... not American. Are we talking about the nation of white people that live in MA or are we talking about America?

I agree with you that the chart is misleading, it is quite evident from that chart that a countries wealth is not relating to gun crime. However if you look at my chart on wealth disparity then you will see a relationship emerging which America fits into nicely.

Although in fairness if we are having an open mind on the subject it would also squash the idea that availability of guns is related to murders.

So if you wanna solve gun crime start spreading the wealth!

Are you packing BTW ?