Partisanship is destroying this country. I really wish independents actually had a foot in the door.

You know I share your frustrations for how this stream hasn’t bloomed and blossomed into a space for mature, bipartisan discussion.

I wouldn’t say this is a “both sides” problem. The fact is the GOP caved to a lifelong conman and reality TV host and is left with no respect for, or even base-level knowledge of, the tradition of moderate Republicans that came before.

Some of the best of that tradition IMO are Romney, McCain, H.W. Bush.

Heck even Nixon, Reagan, G.W. Bush who were once seen as far-right are now in plenty of ways well to the Left of the Trumpian GOP. On basic levels like being anti-bigotry (recall how G.W. Bush always carefully pointed out that Muslims were not terrorists, while Trump sought to collapse that distinction with the “Muslim travel ban”), seeking to unify the country rather than divide it, to actually govern and improve conditions for citizens rather than simply hold power, and — you know — accept the results of elections that do not go their way.

The modern-day GOP is fascist, or at least as far on the spectrum toward fascism as a system that is still a functioning democracy will tolerate.

The Democratic Party under Joe Biden is firmly within the mainstream of the tradition of American government and is as moderate as you’d like.

I wasn't expecting much for this stream, but don't take this meme the wrong way: I'm glad it gets traffic, even if the vast majority of the memes are more on the liberal side. You put some effort into them and it shows, so thanks. I remember a while back you were concerned that your memes were turning this stream into Politics_TOO II, but they weren't then and they aren't now. Yes, I do wish there were more people with more perspectives as active on the stream as you, but I can't really do anything about it. No, I don't think they're turned away by your posts.

Now not to get all cynical and defeatist about everything but TBH I kinda gave up on this stream's original mission. I created it, what, a year ago or so? I've learned a thing or two since then. After interactions with certain users who I won't mention here(I'm sure you know who I'm talking about), and other journeys across the internet, I've realized that it doesn't matter how you conduct yourself: people are always going to be either willfully ignorant or just massive a**holes because they f***ing can. And that's not even the worst part: unless you're on the s***hole that's Twitter people probably won't come to your defense, even if you're the one making rational arguments. But hey, what else is new?

Great point about the current state of the Republican Party, there are Republicans out there who feel that their party has abandoned them, the reasons for which being some of the things you mentioned.

Even though Biden wouldn't have been my first choice, he certainly isn't the worst and seems to be genuinely committed to following through on his platform.

I have a reputation as an insane Leftie, but that’s only by ImgFlip politics standards where the Overton Window is so massively shifted to the Right. And I don’t take their shit. They don’t like that.

But I actually go after commies: Real commies. I’m the only ImgFlipper with a stream like this. imgflip.com/m/Cringe_Left

I voted McCain in ‘08, Johnson in ‘12 and ‘16 and this cycle voted for Biden. The most moderate Democrat to run in the primaries and a longtime creature of the Senate. These Righties want to talk to a genuine independent? They’re looking at one.

Above all I just want a government that works well: a country that does things like kick Nazi ass, put a man on the moon, stare down the Soviet Union. Not one that gets severely crippled by a virus that many other countries with fewer resources than us have figured out how to contain and which can be pretty much stopped in its tracks with $5 pieces of face cloth.

In other words, I want to Make America Great Again.

Too much to ask?