What's up with the sports mentality in politics?

[SmittynMo]

Has anyone noticed how bad politics has become? Of course we have. It has progressively become worse with time. As I sit and analyze why, it seems quite apparent to me that the "sports mentality" has taken over politics.
IE: You root for one team, or another. Never both. There's no in between, or rooting for the other team. You win, or you lose. It's all black and white.

What happened to the days (in politics) when both sides got together and discussed the issues, and came up with a workable solution? And how did we get into this sports mentality when it comes to politics? Have we become animals and/or robots? Is everything truly black and white?

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. I think there are two things at play (pardon the pun) Here ...

First, the sports mentality is something easily relatable to most observers; but more importantly, politics is, and always has been, a game ... albeit a high consequence, low participative, game.

[unblock]

2. modern polling and a lazy media are two big factors.

on the demographic side, the increasing desperation of the right wing also has a lot to do with it. turning politics into personal branding, team horseraces, and "principles" instead of anything remotely policy-related all serves to keep the public from focusing on how badly those in power are screwing us.

any actually substantive discussion would turn out very badly for those in power, so they distract us with drama and sports metaphors.

[CrispyQ]

3. Everything has become more crass & less civilized.

I think we have a loud & vocal minority segment of the population that does live in a black & white world. The media amplifies their voice & then claims they are being 'fair & balanced' & that the wacko views are as valid as any others.

I believe that collectively, as a species, we know we're headed down a dark path & we aren't really doing anything to change that. Some days I think that collectively, we are insane. I don't see a happy ending for humanity.

[SmittynMo]

4. We tried to change it

Obama was all about change. He ran his whole campaign on it. But when you have a section of the government that says right out of the chute, "We will stop any/all measures you try to change", you know failure is just around the corner. Thus Obama had to take this on himself with executive orders. Now he has a potential lawsuit against him? WTF. When you confront the right about Bush and all the others that made executive orders, their answer is, "Not the way Obama is crushing the constitution". Impeach! Impeach! They hate him to the core of their souls and will stop at nothing. Everyone knows why. So, I guess it really is black and white. Pun intended.

It's so sad to see what the right has done to this country in the past 6 years. And sadly, not enough people care.

We'll I'm hoping we get the far right racist deadbeats out of office come election days ahead.

[hollowdweller]

5. GOP tactics, talk radio, and Fox news.

Even as far back as Nixon/McGovern the GOP was painting the opposition not just as somebody with difft ideas but as somebody repulsive.

This was refined during the Lee Atwater years.

Elimination of the Fairness Doctrine along with talk radio and later Fox pushed it up several notches.

Still I would say that until the GOP just got too extreme and there were basically no moderate republicans left that the whole sports mentality was more prominent on the GOP side.

MOST democrats believe we have to have defense spending and that there should be some emphasis given on fiscal matters. Most democrats are concerned about gov't getting too powerful. Plenty of hawkish dems foreign policy wise.

However there are almost no republicans now that believe in any gov't program. That increasing revenue can reduce deficits.

So I think it's been a long time coming but mainly caused by the GOP.

[CBHagman]

9. It predates the '72 election.

Shaping the image of your opponent is a activity that dates back centuries.

What's different now is that everything is speeded up and spread around, thanks to all the changes in media, culture, and technology.

[Wounded Bear]

6. In part it's the media...

Not exclusively Faux Noise, but they're probably the worst. All that matters is drama to get eyes on the screen, and an if it bleeds it leads mentality. Obviously, I'm a bit biased, but I think that if there's any "wave" action this Novemeber, it's gonna tilt Democratic. Repubs have been doing what they do best, over-reach--on many issues. They've pissed off just about every demographic beyond their own narrow WMO60 and WF too dumb to see they and their daughters are being screwed. But the media wants a horse race...drama...the thrill of victory/agony of defeat crap. So they pump up quetionable polls that show close races and ignore demographic studies and polls that show a differing narrative.

If we can GOTV, the Repubs will be overwhelmed.

[Matrosov]

7. A cold civil war

In a sense, we are in the midst of another civil war, but this one is cold. The division dates back to the counter culture. Though the country as a whole has become more progressive and free, I would say for some people, the progress has not come fast enough, while of course there is also a segment of the population that idealizes and idolizes the American society of the 1940s and 1950s.

We have a two-party system, for better or for worse, and the two parties have come to represent those two opposing forces.

[blkmusclmachine]

8. Damn lib'rul media!!!1! Can't trust 'em!!!1!

[SmittynMo]

10. Trust no one in politics or the media

You really can't trust anyone these days. The politicians lie all the time. The media eats it up and spews more lies about the lies.