Wow. I was just surfing and found your site. Nicely put together. However, I believe in engaging folks, especially folks who believe differently. I wonder how I, an independent with progressive leanings can have a compassionate conversation with somebody like you who is on a diffferent side. I truly want to. I think we are already too polarized in this nation, and I truly believe that we all have more in common (our common good, our common humanity), and should try to bridge the ideological differences that keep us at each other's throats.

For instance, I am willing to consider that Mr. DeLay has just been engaging in the kind of behavior that we for too long have excused in politicians. Peddling influence seems to be part and parcel of the job. Having lived plenty of time in DC I know many others do so. But I also think that factually DeLay has been at the lead of this kind of playing the system, and that at some point he has to be called (and all others) into account. He has shown plenty of disregard for ethics in this regard, and his friends unfortunately tried to rig the system in the House Ethics Committee in his favor. Now, do Democrats do this? I'm sure they have engaged in as many nefarious deeds. They should be called to account also. But if we are going to bridge this chasm in the country we cannot try to cover the sky with our hands, the situation is not as cleanly one sided as your post states.

The more we become ideologically attached, the worse off we are as a nation, because we stop seeking ways to cross the divides and work for the common good.

What do you think? Thanks for your consideration,

I appreciate the tone and sincerity of your comments, and I agree that dialogue is important. It has been my experience, however, that dialogue is virtually impossible with people on the left. I've had people start yelling at me, walk out of the room, curse me, etc etc, all because I asked a question. I kid you not, I've never verbally attacked anyone on the left, but any question that might possibly challenge their worldview is fodder for their tantrums. I'm tired of that. I love stimulating conversations with those who disagree. I've had very few of them.

About my post, I'm not saying Tom DeLay is a fully innocent man, but what I am saying is that in this particular case, at least last I read, he hasn't done anything unethical or wrong. I'll have to post a lengthy article about it, because I don't want to take up tons of space on a comment.

I've just had enough of vindictive liberals out to get anyone who doesn't support their ideology. The ACLU, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Mulholland, those people live to destroy lives, and that's not only sad, it's evil.

I'm glad you stumbled upon my site. I'm always up for good conversation, especially if both sides are respectful of one another, and I can assure you that I will be.

Thank you very much Portia for the nice response. I think we've had different experiences in our political lives, but I don't disagree that I've had bad experiences with partisans of every stripe. There is a righteousness that infects folks of any political ideology that makes them be dismissive, insulting, and somehow believe they hold the "Truth."

My experiences with folks on the Right have been similar to yours with folks on the left, although I have also friends on the Right that are good, conscientious, thoughtful, intelligent folks who hold conservative positions on a host of issues. We disagree on policy issues, we also disagree not so much on how we define problems (although at times we do), but on how we would articulate social policy do deal with those problems. Still, we end up having much in common. Unfortunately, politics in this country has become such a zero-sum game, where there is only winning, and anything to win seems to be the approach.

The conservative responses that drive me the most nuts are probably also what you see as the left responses that drive you the most nuts! Folks who believe they know the truth, that want to dismiss other's beliefs and experiences, and who want to impose on others a particular way of looking. I think that happens because we are so used to thinking that somehow we cannot coexist with others who hold differing positions, we just go all out to advocate and push ours. I know we will have disagreements and ideological stumbling blocks, but I also think we can create common ground. That is probably easier said than done.

I find the Democratic Party in this country does not truly represent the left well -- or at least has not been doing too good a job of it. That for me means that the Democratic Party has lost any ability to claim they are "progressive." I don't even see them as liberal. Still, the ideological core that they give voice to, resonates with me better than the Republicans. In my estimation the Republican Party has given itself too much to other fringes that also distort too much what I always understood as conservatism. I do share some conservative values and thus find the direction the GOP has been taking also takes us away in directions that do not do a good service to conservatism.

At the same time that doesn't mean I'm too much for "moderate" positions. Sometimes the drive to the middle is just another way to play in the middle of the road, and we know what can happen there.

I'm truly astounded however by the vitriol of political commentators Portia. I know this will read very partisan, but I find so many of those commentators on the Right. I teach argument for a living and I'm more saddened than not when I look at political commentary nowadays. But I am particularly saddened as a citizen when I see what some commentators in the Right have picked up as a style of politics. I'm just embarassed when left commentators attempt the same.

Anyway, too long already. Thanks for the opportunity to chat with you. All the best to you,

N