Four More Years...

I don't think this statement applies very well to the Republicans I know, and it certainly doesn't apply to the Limbaugh republicans, which number in the millions.Are there really very many people worried about Bush having undercut our defensive standing in the world, assuming that's even true? I think the common voter tends to be either for or against the war in Iraq and for or against allowing the UN to intervene in our military choices. If they're for the war in Iraq, they aren't thinking anything negative about our defensive standing in the world.I don't know how much of policy difference there was between the parties in 2000, but there is a huge worldview difference. I don't know the right words to describe it with, but it appears to me that the majority of republicans have a problem with the "anything goes" attitude of the democratic party. I don't think it's a specific set of morals, but it certainly is an issue of morals don't matter at all versus morals do matter, and that issue stops most republicans from voting democrat, at least when it comes to congress and the president.I can't talk on a high political level. I'm too removed from it. However, most voters are pretty uneducated, and they're on no higher a political level than I am. From the Republican side, there is and was a huge difference between the parties. In general, Republicans see democrats and not caring at all about morality and as wanting to raise spending and raise taxes, while Republicans do care about morality and they want to cut spending so we can cut taxes.That may not even be an accurate view, but it is the average Republicans' view. Bush has certainly done his share (and more) of spending, but I don't think that's changed Republican views at all.Anyway, to sum up my rambling, my point is that Republicans do not and have not seen a small difference between the parties, but a large one. Maybe you're just talking about the small group of intermediate people that might sway the election one way or the other, but I think most people see a huge difference between the parties, even if just in their respective general philosophies.

I don't understand why you don't understand, but I'm not claiming to be politically savvy. Democrats tend to say we have to raise taxes, and Republicans tend to say we don't and that working class people need tax breaks. What am I missing?I would blame the Republican party for the increased distance between the CEO's pay and the worker's pay, but I've hung around mostly republicans most of my adult life (I was military in my early 20's), and I don't remember anyone ever thinking about things like that. Leaving Nixon out of it, because of what Percy said, why do you think the country has slid right at all? Have I completely missed what being right wing is? I don't see any indication that this country is moving right (and I don't know how it could if the environment in all high schools is like I saw in the high school I worked at in California--left wing to the point of blindness). I thought Clinton did a great job with the economy. At least, that's what it looked like to me. I certainly noticed him balancing the budget. I don't remember one balanced budget before him since I started paying attention to the news in the 70's, so I was impressed.Finally, I have to say this:To everyone, I only commented, because it seemed clear to me that to the majority of Republicans, for reasons I listed, there was no small difference between the two parties in 2000. I am totally unqualified to be talking on politics in general. My statements about Clinton here are chatty, only.

The thread has moved on, but I thought I'd at least let you know I got this now, as well as the rest of your post. Thanks.