Are our politicians turning us into a hateful nation?

Question

Partisanship apart, I cannot, despite trying hard. think of 1 thing that has been done in the past 8 years that can be said to be beneficial to the wholeness of the American nation....

All laws appear divisive..
The media is divisive...
Attacks
Wars
Terror are all buzzwords of the 21st century... and who is to blame?

Answer 1

Well, they have turned you into a HATED nation.

Edit: Though most people will concede that the odious element is your government, many of us still wonder how to feel about US people's support for its HATEFUL actions.
From xenophobia to imperialism, it is hard to always excuse the NorthAmerican people for always agreeing to send their army to kill however many millions may oppose them. As if opposing the US were an unpardonable sin!!!

Answer 2

I think I would revise that statement. Americans are polarized between two extremes of left and right, with moderates, being the majority in the middle.

The problem is that the most vocal proponents of divisive laws and hysteria of all stripes are also those who are in the minority.

Because people are dissilusioned with the outcome of the political process, they tend to get jaded and resentful. That's because no candidate so far has inspired this nation with the guiding light of positive leadership and bright prospects for a future.

John Kennedy inspired a nation with his dream of putting a man on the moon before the end of the 1960's. His dream, his plan was realized. During his presidency, the nation's mood was upbeat and productive. However, his assassination destroyed the optimism he instilled and replaced it with presidential administrations that let this nation down, such as Johnson and the Vietnam war, and Nixon and Watergate.

The appearance of all of this division and seeming hateful response to just about anything (e.g. hyper-sensitivity) is a result of not 8 years of irresponsible leadership but in fact over 40 years of irresponsible leadership.

To run it down, Johnson disappointed the nation by escalating Vietnam and entangling and embroiling the United States in a foreign intrigue that was wholly unnecessary. The people of Vietnam were perfectly capable of finding their own political level without us.

Nixon did get us out of the war, and he did create the EPA and DEA, and he proved to be a formidable leader capturing an unprecedented political landslide in the 1972 elections. But his tragic fall from grace was his disturbing and quite frankly disgusting coverup of the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate condominium in Washington, DC. Had Nixon not been a part of that burglary, he may have proven to be one of the greatest national leaders this country had seen since Kennedy. He was not personable but he was efficient.

Gerald Ford was, in fact, extremely honest. He was, in my opinion, a humble and very decent president. But he inherited a legacy of corruption, pardoned Nixon, and ended up handing the White House to a dark horse named Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter was totally uninspiring. His foreign policy was tragically flawed. He gave away the Panama Canal. His finest moment was negotiating a peace deal between Sadat and Begin in the Egyptial/Israeli Peace Accords. However, that was his best work. In the meantime during his administration, American embassy workers were taken hostage in Iran for 444 days and Carter did nothing to mobilize a military response that had any value; the nation's economy tanked to the point that home loans were at 13 to 17 percent interest and auto loans were up to 27 percent interest. There was a recession with double-digit unemployment.

Carter's legacy was dismal, at least domestically. And he gave away the Panama Canal which, in my opinion was a strategic asset of the United States.

Reagan was a personal, grandfatherly type. But his brand of presidency protected every dollar the rich made, and ignored the poor, homeless, unemployed, single mothers, and underprivileged of our society. His trickle-down economic theory was a bust and he deregulated the savings and loan industry leading to its collapse. Reagan's shining moment was the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of communism in Eastern Europe. Reagan failed to inspire, though. He clung to Jerry Falwell's theory that AIDS was God's scourge on gays and druggies, until it was too late and the heterosexual population and good Christians started getting infected and dying like flies.

George Bush the senior (King George I), was a dismal failure as well. His policies led to Gulf War I and our eventual intervention in it.

Clinton was a bust too. His business policies were okay, but remember he and Hillary were part of the S&L debacle, and moreover, their policies helped lead to the "dot.bomb" of the 1990's.

George W. Bush the jr. (King George II) is no better than his dad. He wasn't in long enough to employ policies that would lead to Gulf War II. Instead, policies left over from George I and Clinton inspired that doofus and Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Ladin to attempt, once again, this time successfully, to topple the twin towers. And voi la! Look at where we're at.

Show me one political leader since Kennedy that has inspired a nation to dream, to be self-confident. Show me one! You can't. They don't make Kennedy's or Roosevelts, or Lincolns anymore. They make jelly, jam, lard and butter.

Answer 3

They are clouding our judgement with hate. They are wanting us to believe that we must choose when in reality you miss the little things that they are doing. They want us to be scared and hold onto the fear for as long as possible. There is more at work here than just some terrorists trying to kill americans. Far more is involved that is way beyond us. Hate clouds your judgement does it not? The more we hate, the less we pay attention to the real issues.

Answer 4

Even Jefferson and Adams who were good friends socially for a time ended up hating each other politically. Politics in of themselves are divisive, and have been for thousands of years. We just have to focus our energies on those things that united and make us stronger.

Answer 5

You are right on this one. The only time this nation was together was after the 9/11 attacks.

Answer 6

That person in the mirror.

We have let people pull our strings to think those who don't agree with us are dumb or wrong.

We just all need to take a breather. Drink a few beers together and relax. Get our sense of humor back.

We need to understand we need to work together just because the other party is in the majority doesn't mean they stole the elections or those who voted for them are stupid.

We all want simple answers and there are no simple answers in life.

Answer 7

THE POLITICIANS ARE THE LACKEYS OF THOSE WHO FINANCE THEIR CAMPAIGNS.
The politicians that rise to the top are those who do what they are told and they are told what to do by the people financing them.
All other statements made by politicians are lies designed to get your vote.
Those doing the financing are the divisive and hateful people.
They feel strongly enough about their agendas to spend $MILLIONS to achieve their desires and to hell with moderation!!

Answer 8

The nation is becoming hateful because some people can't stand to have anyone with differing views in power so they spew hate all over these boards and it appears to be contagious

Answer 9

Stop looking for somone/thing to blame. Find a solution to the root cause?

Answer 10

No, religion is doing that. From our attempt to Christianize the Middle east to our endeavors to impose Christianity on the American population, religion spreads nothing but hate and contempt.