General Discussion

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

97. I wasn't familiar with it, but I've just learned about it.

Fri Feb 27, 2015, 01:34 PM

Feb 2015

Very interesting. I think it has moved to the right on some issues and to the left on others, no?

I recognize that it is critical to have people who push things outside the window in order to apply continuous pressure in the direction you want to go in. I'm not saying that those that do that should go away, but if that is all that you have, there is very likely going to be a reactionary swing in the other direction, imo.

So not everyone needs to be doing that. It's ok to have a little counter pressure and a great deal of moderate participation.

Constantly criticizing others who are holding a different position is not very constructive in general, particularly when those people really do share your general values and goals. Perhaps the left is missing a megaphone precisely because of the diversity of opinion that seems so glaringly absent in the right.

Enjoy your knapping. We are heading out to test the recently repaired auto-pilot and dump the tanks.

Thanks for the hug, friend.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

213 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

As a member of what has become known as the "far left" those who attack me here don't anger me [View all] Fumesucker Feb 2015 OP

I tell people I'm a Democrat by default since there is no viable Socialist option. hobbit709 Feb 2015 #1

+1 Pacifist Patriot Feb 2015 #6

Amen to that! Paka Feb 2015 #21

Good for you. zomgitsjesus Feb 2015 #34

I would call that a self-fulfilling prophecy. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #42

"Socialism" can refer to a political party Jackpine Radical Feb 2015 #127

Careful there.... Katashi_itto Feb 2015 #156

Exactly. In 72 when McGovern was running that is what they called me. I agreed even back then. jwirr Feb 2015 #56

I feel the same way Marrah_G Feb 2015 #68

Damn skippy! hifiguy Feb 2015 #108

Wow, you can certainly read my mind! raven mad Feb 2015 #140

This Is The Fact...Clinton billhicks76 Feb 2015 #163

You miss the point. sulphurdunn Feb 2015 #172

"When they're shooting at you... WilliamPitt Feb 2015 #2

+1 Liberalynn Feb 2015 #61

Anyone who thinks the far right only exists among Republicans isn't paying attention. Scootaloo Feb 2015 #3

There is a Fox News personality who seems to specialize in it Fumesucker Feb 2015 #5

We know who that is. L0oniX Feb 2015 #49

Who? nt msanthrope Feb 2015 #141

Post removed Post removed Feb 2015 #144

Very much agree...I feel the same way. MindPilot Feb 2015 #4

So much this ^^^^^ Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #51

...^ that 840high Feb 2015 #110

Only those who don't think for themselves are consistently "Far Left" or "Far Right" FLPanhandle Feb 2015 #7

Did you happen to notice I didn't claim to be far left? Fumesucker Feb 2015 #8

Nope. FLPanhandle Feb 2015 #10

Very well put leftynyc Feb 2015 #20

Well said. mountain grammy Feb 2015 #71

Couldn't Agree More! cynzke Feb 2015 #206

False equivalency strawman AgingAmerican Feb 2015 #118

There is a far left here it's a fact. iandhr Feb 2015 #9

You do know who sabotaged the public option, yes? Fumesucker Feb 2015 #11

Yes am very well aware of that fact and I don't care iandhr Feb 2015 #15

I'm impressed.. Fumesucker Feb 2015 #18

Ummm... nope. quakerboy Feb 2015 #179

But single payer isn't just a far left ideal, it is also a conservative ideal. A Simple Game Feb 2015 #24

No, a fundamental conservative belief is that government can not do anything. jeff47 Feb 2015 #41

It probably would have been better if I had said fiscal conservative. A Simple Game Feb 2015 #78

Do you know who instituted the first single-payer health system? Fortinbras Armstrong Feb 2015 #202

I didn't know that, thanks for the history lesson. A Simple Game Feb 2015 #204

You consider single-payer to be "far left"?? RufusTFirefly Feb 2015 #37

I don't consider single payer to be far left. iandhr Feb 2015 #54

The ACA is the conservative option, though! Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #55

You are sick of it. iandhr Feb 2015 #57

Post removed Post removed Feb 2015 #59

I don't like the all or nothing folks iandhr Feb 2015 #62

I wasn't being "all or nothing." Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #64

Jury results. Sorry. You are right. Not fair. Hissyspit Feb 2015 #117

boy, that was a bad call. but, some are more equal than others. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #193

Who doesnt have health care? When you answer that you will see that they would practically randys1 Feb 2015 #102

why was it left to the states? so they could refuse it. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #104

Read up on what the law initially said, what Roberts did to the law the first time around randys1 Feb 2015 #106

lazy and unhelpful. rather than advising me to 'read up' every time you disagree with me, ND-Dem Feb 2015 #107

You made the god damn accusation that I assume meant ACA was DESIGNED to fail randys1 Feb 2015 #113

you assume too much. as i said, if you tell me to read up, a link would be helpful. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #157

You didn't read my posts, obviously ... Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #109

I was about to show you what you said but now i cant seem to find your post randys1 Feb 2015 #112

18,999,999, if that quakerboy Feb 2015 #181

I think the whole left/right paradigm needs retired. riqster Feb 2015 #12

I don't disagree with that Fumesucker Feb 2015 #13

+1 n/t RufusTFirefly Feb 2015 #38

I'm with fumesucker, I don't disagree with this either. 2banon Feb 2015 #82

Oh but it does serve a purpose, it keeps us divided. A Simple Game Feb 2015 #88

Ought to be an OP. riqster Feb 2015 #90

I agree with your sentiment but NO, the teaparty does NOT want EVERYBODY to have randys1 Feb 2015 #103

The teaparty are not conservatives, they are reactionaries and often racists among other things. A Simple Game Feb 2015 #150

In an winner-takes-all electoral system, a main division into 2 camps is almost inevitable muriel_volestrangler Feb 2015 #153

Politics is the bane of this country... ReRe Feb 2015 #198

Washington and others. riqster Feb 2015 #211

What a friend of mine said about me when I said I was more liberal than him LiberalArkie Feb 2015 #14

Got grandkids yet? Fumesucker Feb 2015 #17

A lot of people are now PROUD to be called liberal and even socialist. LiberalArkie Feb 2015 #16

I've always called myself a proud liberal leftynyc Feb 2015 #22

I agree, some to the ideas out there are just totallu batshit crazy. LiberalArkie Feb 2015 #29

Wall Street is the problem leftynyc Feb 2015 #39

Agreed. Hang in there Fumesucker. You're a bright light here riderinthestorm Feb 2015 #19

Maybe we need a different term for people who think Dems like Obama and Clinton are no better DanTex Feb 2015 #23

Maybe we need a term for people who invent false beliefs out of thin air tkmorris Feb 2015 #25

I agree, it's a false belief. But I sure didn't invent it. DanTex Feb 2015 #28

Realists? Fuddnik Feb 2015 #32

If, by "realist" you mean USArmyParatrooper Feb 2015 #60

I sorta of feel like Zappa.. at times. Ichingcarpenter Feb 2015 #26

FZ was a very wise man who could cut through the bullshit hifiguy Feb 2015 #111

he was a conservative republican. in all but name. i don't see why people are so enamoured of him. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #194

Wrong. He was a libertarian lefty. hifiguy Feb 2015 #199

he was economically right wing, so no 'lefty'. libertarians are individualist capitalists who are ND-Dem Feb 2015 #200

I'm for the truth Ichingcarpenter Feb 2015 #201

Recommended. H2O Man Feb 2015 #27

Are you "leftier than thou"? cbayer Feb 2015 #30

democratic, small d. nt Zorra Feb 2015 #69

What is the definition of that? cbayer Feb 2015 #72

"of, relating to, or supporting democracy or its principles". nt Zorra Feb 2015 #74

Well that's pretty broad and could include all kinds of moderates and even conservatives. cbayer Feb 2015 #77

In nations where oligarchs own and control both the media and the political process, Zorra Feb 2015 #96

If you start with the premise that we have completely lost our democracy, I cbayer Feb 2015 #98

Appeasement has been shown to be a continuing failed policy of epic proportions. Zorra Feb 2015 #116

I applaud your idealism and your activism. cbayer Feb 2015 #120

Honestly, I also believe the chances are slim that a mass general strike will happen, Zorra Feb 2015 #169

If you think that there is probably a necessary action that would change things cbayer Feb 2015 #209

Yes, like you, having lived in Latin American countries, I am very aware that Zorra Feb 2015 #212

Let's take the example of healthcare. cbayer Feb 2015 #213

Rolling... ReRe Feb 2015 #197

oh, that old "inside" / "outside" thingy rationalized but intended to pacify. 2banon Feb 2015 #145

Who exactly is the opponent, the enemy, that is being pacified? cbayer Feb 2015 #146

nothing wrong with "working together" that's how anything good is accomplished 2banon Feb 2015 #148

I don't know what the politics of inside/outside are, but I looked it up. cbayer Feb 2015 #149

I try not to be, with of course varying degrees of success Fumesucker Feb 2015 #73

And others seem to take the most radical leftist position compatible cbayer Feb 2015 #76

Are you familiar with the concept of the Overton Window? Fumesucker Feb 2015 #92

I wasn't familiar with it, but I've just learned about it. cbayer Feb 2015 #97

Good post! JustAnotherGen Feb 2015 #31

Those who resort to the ad hominem 'far left' (or various other iterations), rather KingCharlemagne Feb 2015 #33

And then they have the gall to accuse us of "suppressing turnout" beerandjesus Feb 2015 #44

I'm glad someone quoted Big Bill Haywood Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #58

nailed it. Duppers Feb 2015 #94

The fact is the labels mean next to nothing BainsBane Feb 2015 #35

The Third Way is a neoliberal think tank of investment bankers. NT. Rex Feb 2015 #81

It's also used by some to insult other DUers BainsBane Feb 2015 #84

Well I guess they have no idea what the Third Way is then. Rex Feb 2015 #85

Let's add that to the list BainsBane Feb 2015 #86

Yeah that would be a long list no doubt. Rex Feb 2015 #89

The really sad part is that the country is finally ready Jamastiene Feb 2015 #36

K&R Solly Mack Feb 2015 #40

Especially since the Democratic party is actually America's conservative party. beerandjesus Feb 2015 #43

For what it's worth...I like you and your views on life and politics. BlueJazz Feb 2015 #45

Yep, "far left" and even "liberal" were deliberately turned into insults deutsey Feb 2015 #46

++ Duppers Feb 2015 #93

When did 'liberal' become a dirty word? Octafish Feb 2015 #95

This post speaks to me. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2015 #47

these are common sense, pragmatic and moral things to do justabob Feb 2015 #185

The more that some insult the left or progressives, the more the left's influence is being felt dissentient Feb 2015 #48

You're good people. AtheistCrusader Feb 2015 #50

Your post speaks to me as well, Fumesucker. Greybnk48 Feb 2015 #52

Seems that is not the idealogy of this group of which you speak Cryptoad Feb 2015 #53

You're in good company, Fumesucker. chervilant Feb 2015 #63

Very well said, thank you, Fumesucker. Zorra Feb 2015 #65

K&R..........I'm with you, Fumesucker. Enthusiast Feb 2015 #66

"Far Left" is the modern way of saying "Commie", "Red", "Troublemaker", "Dirty Hippie". Tierra_y_Libertad Feb 2015 #67

Republicans wouldn't know the "far left" if it bit them in the TBF Feb 2015 #70

I'm not a member of CP-USA (although my introduction to the KingCharlemagne Feb 2015 #79

No I'm not either - TBF Feb 2015 #99

Your philosophy sounds very similar to mine. However, while I consider elections important, I tend KingCharlemagne Feb 2015 #101

Oh definitely - I agree 100% nt TBF Feb 2015 #115

I Hear Ya Fumesucker! What passes for "Far Left" on DU would be laughable if it were Freeperville 2banon Feb 2015 #75

I will say that I have seen "liberal" used in ways that are near identical Agnosticsherbet Feb 2015 #80

I'm really not very good at doing OPs I have to work at it fairly hard Fumesucker Feb 2015 #139

Your welcome. It is a great OP. Agnosticsherbet Feb 2015 #154

Those that attack the left are not progressives at all. Rex Feb 2015 #83

The other alternative is to "get even" MannyGoldstein Feb 2015 #87

or call "bullshit" on the whole thing Mnpaul Feb 2015 #159

That would be a good call, in that instance MannyGoldstein Feb 2015 #162

New Democrats = Old Republicans Mnpaul Feb 2015 #166

I think today's far-right Dems are to the right of 1950s Republicans MannyGoldstein Feb 2015 #174

I fully agree, at times I have even lost all patience and with it calm civility Dragonfli Feb 2015 #165

I don't need patience Mnpaul Feb 2015 #167

My reply to that hunk of darkness Aerows Feb 2015 #184

I probably should, It's just I don't like ignore because with prolific posters it removes so much Dragonfli Feb 2015 #195

I can't stand Aerows Feb 2015 #196

That sad poor Foxnews pundit. They won't even pay him! Rex Feb 2015 #173

calling someone "far left" is a cheap rhetorical game guillaumeb Feb 2015 #91

"'Far left' is a conservative Republican meme" now often heard on this allegedly Democratic ND-Dem Feb 2015 #100

Obviously someone referred to you as far left as if it were an insult... randys1 Feb 2015 #105

I have just finished responding to comment accusing me of NOT BEING A DEMOCRAT sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #114

Why should it? whatthehey Feb 2015 #119

I haven't ever advocated any of the things you list Fumesucker Feb 2015 #122

Do you think Obama is too conservative? Only 10% do. How should we describe the leftmost 10%? whatthehey Feb 2015 #124

As I pointed out in the OP the Republicans have been "working the refs" for several decades now.. Fumesucker Feb 2015 #125

New Dealism isn't far ANYTHING and the voices outside of that are miniscule functionally, the nation TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #207

'"Far left" is a conservative Republican meme' Kermitt Gribble Feb 2015 #121

How can it not be a perfectly valid descriptor whatthehey Feb 2015 #123

But my opinions on *policy* are not that far to the left of what the public says it wants.. Fumesucker Feb 2015 #126

Plus 1000 wilsonbooks Feb 2015 #147

Can you give some examples of these opinions that are to the left of 90+% of the nation? n/t Kermitt Gribble Feb 2015 #152

There is NO "Far Left" on DU, and not much of one in th USA. bvar22 Feb 2015 #128

Pretty much what you said.. Fumesucker Feb 2015 #129

Yeah, this is what happens when everyone moves to the right and we stand still... SomethingFishy Feb 2015 #131

No ignore list here... Fumesucker Feb 2015 #137

You're a better man than I... SomethingFishy Feb 2015 #138

There are some who call for the end of capitalism, or a maximum wage muriel_volestrangler Feb 2015 #155

Then there are those of us calling for FDR policies 2banon Feb 2015 #164

And they either don't see it or they are being willingly obtuse. raouldukelives Feb 2015 #205

I always thought "far left" and "liberal" were too different things. romanic Feb 2015 #130

Are you Pro-choice? Anti-War? Pro Education? SomethingFishy Feb 2015 #133

I wouldn't consider romanic Feb 2015 #134

Exactly.. the goal posts have been moved to the point SomethingFishy Feb 2015 #136

The screeching, fallacy laden attacks against the left also can be taken another way. pa28 Feb 2015 #132

This message was self-deleted by its author 1000words Feb 2015 #135

Don't let "Democrats" define themselves against you! daredtowork Feb 2015 #142

Depressed and discouraged? Yes, but mostly it brings into focus that nothing is more TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #143

Amen, bro. I can't believe the delight some folks on these threads take Damansarajaya Feb 2015 #151

well said. blackspade Feb 2015 #158

If it differentiates me from them, then it's a badge of honor stupidicus Feb 2015 #160

I am with you! ybbor Feb 2015 #161

Post removed Post removed Feb 2015 #168

Are you OK? marym625 Feb 2015 #170

The few that stay outraged at the Left are getting completely desperate. Rex Feb 2015 #176

Just wanted to help the poor boy marym625 Feb 2015 #178

I was just reading that! Rex Feb 2015 #180

YAY! marym625 Feb 2015 #183

Wow Fume must be flattered to have someone sign up just to show their admiration! Rex Feb 2015 #175

Are you far left? Wear it with pride. Piss em off. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2015 #171

Better to be a far-lefty in the party, than a far-righty. Rex Feb 2015 #177

LOL at the earlier name removed post. Looks like you really pissed off someone dissentient Feb 2015 #182

Don't feel 'depressed and discouraged', is far anything good? Yorktown Feb 2015 #186

check out post #128 G_j Feb 2015 #187

Oh, OK. But then, it's misleading to use 'far left' Yorktown Feb 2015 #188

Any "regulating markets" is "far left"? Seems extreme to put regulation and confiscation in the same TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #210

Why should Democrats care if you "simply to wash (your) hands of politics"? ConservativeDemocrat Feb 2015 #189

K&R DeSwiss Feb 2015 #190

Republicans pushed weak Democrats so far right, that nearly everything is "far left" at this point.. whereisjustice Feb 2015 #191

This message was self-deleted by its author Corruption Inc Feb 2015 #192

Buck up. Badass Liberal Feb 2015 #203

The only place I heard "far left" used so much was on The O'Reilly Factor JonLP24 Feb 2015 #208