Political name calling—why is this a thing?

[Todd.K]

Do you want to win, or whine about wanting to be nicer than the other side?

[1168]

Do you want to win, or whine about wanting to be nicer than the other side?

That’s just it. Name calling doesn’t lead to a win. It just drives away the fence-sitters.

[titsonritz]

Complete rant here, but why has it become acceptable to throw around silly school yard names when it comes to what should be serious conversations? I’m sure the left does it too, but I’ve always believed the whole point of being a conservative was to be rational and not make dumb, emotional decisions. Yet people throw around “Obummer/Sleepy Joe/Killary/Libtard” constantly. Best case it’s immature and cringeworthy, worst case it completely undermines any good point you make when you sound like you get your facts from internet trolls. I don’t need some low rent late night monologue punchline to criticize people I have philosophical disagreements with—even when I agree with people I can’t take them seriously when they do this. Perhaps I am just old fashioned, but it’s dumb and I think we’d all be better if we left the silly names to the kids and tried to treat our political discourse with the seriousness it deserves.

Am I alone here?

Shut-up racist Nazi.

[TBAR_94]

Do you want to win, or whine about wanting to be nicer than the other side?

I’m not convinced it has anything to do with winning. Trump did it, and the left had all manner to say about Bush. Perhaps it’s just the world we are in, but I personally can think of a lot more mature, and accurate things to say about the left than “Libtard.” And I’m not defending the way “racist” and “Nazi” have been weaponized, that’s probably a worse cheapening of language. But a bunch of grown ass men calling stupid names and giggling like teenage girls is not the solution to any of our problems. I’m pretty secure in my beliefs so I’m not a fence sitter, but I’m also not going to make friends with the dude in the “Joe and the Hoe Gotta Go” t-shirt.

But I’m a total a-hole to my friends and call them all manner of colorful nicknames, so I get the urge—I just think we can save that stuff for sports bitching and act seriously when the situation calls for it.

[TBAR_94]

Guilty.
.

I have spent my adult life around Air Force aviation so colorful callsigns and innuendos are a way of life for me. A 69 second time hack is ALWAYS a good idea. But that’s amongst peers and like minded people. Doing it to some politician who probably already thinks I’m an idiot because I like guns, deer hunting and believe the efficacy of a well placed JDAM to solve foreign policy problems just seems like a crazy guy yelling at cars on the freeway. But I have yelled at cars…so…

[Todd.K]

My only complaint is about picking good names and then staying on a consistent message. Call them all the C word and just stick with that.

Communists hate being called communists for some reason.

That’s just it. Name calling doesn’t lead to a win. It just drives away the fence-sitters.

I can’t argue against the evidence.

Nazi, white supremacist, ultra mega MAGA, threats to democracy candidates have been notching up so many wins lately.

Maybe there is still time to go back to being nice winners like Romney.

[ChrisM516]

It's something both sides engage in equally when they can't make a coherent argument, but whenever someone talks about how bad things have become, I like to remind them that a senator was beaten unconscious on the Senate floor way back when. Maybe we could use some more of that.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory...les_Sumner.htm

[gsd2053]

I know right! I remember when politicians were all so very cordial, respectful, dare I say it? Presidential.

Then Orange man came. He started po slinging. Our fine politicians haven't been the same since.

[Averageman]

So, what you're asking us is "Why doesn't the Mitt Romney approach Win?"

[SteyrAUG]

I provide people with the level of respect they deserve. The "office" of the President only affords you so much consideration.