General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA Democrat and Republican are standing on the beach
The Republican starts walking to the right, he walks very far to the right. The Democrat stands where he was always standing.
A voter comes along and says to the Democrat. "Why don't you walk closer to the Republican so you can be more in the middle."

wordstroken
(1,251 posts)
democrank
(11,664 posts)A perfect example of real-life politics
Bettie
(18,596 posts)and then a crowd of Republicans and Democrats forms....the Republicans move even farther than the first guy and most of the Dems follow, but don't go quite as far. The Democrats still hanging out where they stared are now "too far to the Left", even though they never moved.
GopherGal
(2,534 posts)Possibly a voter who has get getting his news solely from Faux News for the last decade.
Gimpyknee
(374 posts)The indoctrination by Faux was my proposed explanation for why a voter might behave in such a way.
I almost phrased it as being a CNN or M$M reporter in memory of the M$M harranging Kamala to do a sit-down interview last summer.
imho, they're the ones who should be targeted here.
reporters are most often behind the scenes beating the shoe leather to the pavement; to my eyes it's the pundits whose mugs are on the tv screen while the reporters rarely get the credit they deserve. moreover, it's the pundits who've been nagging dems for over two decades to do that "right shot" that has pushed the overton window into maga and Q territory.
Layzeebeaver
(1,987 posts)nilram
(3,268 posts)Creating a tragedy out of comedy.
Permanut
(7,336 posts)from the parking area. One of those observers comments to another "Look, those two people on the beach are standing exactly the same distance from the water. They're both older white males, about the same height, walk at the same pace and are similarly dressed. They look exactly the same to me".
OldBaldy1701E
(8,425 posts)chouchou
(2,159 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(10,197 posts)The Cool, Cool Considerate Men with the refrain "to the right, ever to the right, never to the left, forever to the right" hit me hard in 1971 when I first saw it. Today it just validates our politics, lockstep and all.
The congressional custodian asks at the end of it "How would you like to try to borrow a dollar from one of them?"
This was written around 1969.
Such great theater.
mwooldri
(10,663 posts)is a Democratic Socialist come up to the voter and say "listen here you little shit..." Cos that person would be me, wanting to beat some sense into that voter, ask them why they ain't been paying any attention.
betsuni
(28,109 posts)Last edited Sun Jul 6, 2025, 05:52 PM - Edit history (1)
far to the right?"
Another voter comes up to the Democrat and berates them for walking with the Republican far to the right and doesn't listen when the Democrat says they haven't moved to the right, you can SEE I haven't, but the voter won't listen and spends the next two hours berating them for bad messaging and being centrist and neoliberals and not progressive and beholden to monsters and what they should do and that if they don't the voter will teach them a lesson and send a message by not voting and the Democrat walks into the ocean.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,471 posts)And follows the Republican a ways to the right and stops. Waiting for the Republican to walk back to them.
And waits.
And then watches the Republican, offended that he has to stand so close to the Democrat, move even further away to the right.
So the Democrat once again moves closer to the Republican.
And waits.
And the Republican, disgusted, moves so far away, out of their traditional right wing space, and enters the Fascism space.
The Democrat waits again, contemplating just how much further they can risk moving without losing their base of support. They decide to just be quiet, and wait longer. Surely one day the Republican will come back their way soon......right?
edhopper
(36,355 posts)Warpy
(113,706 posts)and don't get me started on the gentlemen of the press.
This is not the country it was supposed to be.
OldBaldy1701E
(8,425 posts)Jack Valentino
(2,838 posts)rickyhall
(5,313 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,471 posts)"I said, watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal
Oh, won't you sign up your name? We'd like to feel you're acceptable
Respectable, oh, presentable, a vegetable
Oh, take, take, take it, yeah"