General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]bobduca
(1,763 posts)To your point 3) about those who only praise...
Is this a discussion board or a forum for people to posture and spin? Clearly its both.
A subset of "loyalists" exhibit their inability to debate, cede point and constantly rely on dishonest rhetorical techniques : ad hominem , appeals to authority, guilt by association to name just a few.
People who come to discuss policy are at cross-purposes with this segment of loyalists.
I've often thought that much of the disagreement here comes from these sets of poster's expectations being impossible to reconcile.
One set of people are trying to discuss politics and why it has lurched rightward and ways to get the democrats to have a more progressive and liberal agenda. Another small group (all on my ignore list) seems hell bent on just stifling dissent, in the name of public relations.
You can't have discussion with someone running a Public Relations operation.