Where on the spectrum are you?

[Mr Khan]

Egann said:
Center-right, with strong libertarian leanings.

I think the problem in the US is that most politicians, lobbyists, and political parties make livings by NOT fixing issues. In fact, if anything they deliberately inflame them to get votes and donations. I will vote for anyone who I think will fix problems. They are very rare, indeed.

Also, is it just me or are two thirds of the issues out there which polarize people just...stupid?

I mean, take abortion. Sure, it's unfortunate it happens, but if you hate it that much, wouldn't it be better to change the culture which makes people get abortions rather than forcing a law down people's throats?

And how about climate change? If the doomsday talk is even within two orders of magnitude of correct, we're screwed and there is literally jack squat we can do about it. It literally makes more sense to tell people to stockpile mass quantities of food and seed than to try to be political about it. The damage is already done.

On the former point, that's deliberate, because its an easy way to guarantee votes and distract people from the economic issues. Democrats get by with race-baiting because it allows them to lock down the Black and Latino votes without having to produce much in the way of results for either community, and Republicans happily indulge that by pandering (unconsciously) to the racist impulses of middle America, which means that very few blacks consider jumping ship, while helping lock in votes from white American suspicions of "the other." Other wedge issues work on both sides, like guns, gays, and abortion, each one a very small part of the world we live in (the big picture stuff is the economy and the environment), but they are easy vote getters because they allow people to vote "brain-off" and go with what their gut tells them (gay marriage is fine, i love my guns, unborn babies shouldn't be killed, etc).

Essentially, if we removed the wedge issues, both parties would be forced to work much harder for votes, as groups like the blacks would start to question why black households are still so much poorer than white households despite 50 years of Democrat promises, or why poor rural whites who rely on medicaid and food stamps to survive are voting for people who want nothing better than to eviscerate medicaid and foodstamps, and are voting for these people because "the democrats are gonna snatch my guns."

Wedge issues make some demographics into political supplicants, while it makes other demographics actively vote against their own interests.

On the latter point, there is still a lot that can be done to alleviate future climate change by continuing the push away from fossil fuels. Climate change is also only one part of the environmentalist docket.