Do you agree that generally when making a decision, Liberals usually use emotions and Conservatives use reason?

I absolutely agree. Liberals are all about "fair". They don't bother to look at the actual situation on the ground in their zeal to appear "fair". They would make great kindergarten teachers, but little else.

There's nothing soft-headed or soft-hearted about wanting to maintain a stable, equitable and just society. If there is an inequitable distribution of resources due to the influences of a power elite, a stable society can only be maintained by establishing a police state.

Regarding those crises that only government could resolve. Government has rarely acted of its own volition. Normally, it acts when pressed by the people. If you look at American history, you'll see that this is the case. The end of religious lessons and prayer in the public schools came about when parents complained that they did not want their children taught a religion that was not their own. Presbyterians didn't want their kids instructed by Congregationalists or Baptists or Methodists and Jews didn't want their kids instructed by Christians. Catholics didn't want their kids taught that the Pope was the anti-Christ. So the government - that was in charge of the schools - removed religion from the curriculum. The same process ended abusive work practices and child labor. That elderly women who had never worked and who were not eligible to receive their deceased husbands' pensions were the largest number of Americans living in poverty was a fact until the 1970's. That the elderly who had retired lacked health insurance and were living lives of quiet desperation and oftentimes suffering long, painful deaths was a fact until the late 1960's. That food manufacturers were cutting corners and adding substances to food that were toxic (formaldehyde in milk, for instance) and/or non-nutritive was a fact until the government started inspecting our food and the factories processing it.

Sorry but the foxes had their chance to patrol the hen house and did a piss-poor job of it. It takes them a while but when the American people finally complain in force, the government listens. And now you want to undo everything's that been done because it might interfere with business. Tough!

I would disagree. Yours is no more then poorly thought out conjecture. For example, remember the color coded threat levels that were used during the Bush years? Remember how they peaked at red (almost daily) during the the election cycle when Bush wasn't doing well against Kerry. That scared a lot of people into voting for Bush. Not a liberal however was swayed. To simplistic.

No, emotions are a to be considered when weighing matters as they often tell us if we are going against our nature but they are far from being the basis of decisions. Logic is the method of arriving at a decision that is why liberals often choose a logic that helps our fellow people have better lives.

By the way, by your simplistic view, Jesus was a liberal. He forgave even those who killed Him. The rest is just vitriol.

Good grief yes and the more liberal the more emotional. Only a liberal would think a child molester should be forgiven, my gosh they will even turn a child molester into the "victim" That is not logic or reason that is "emotionally insane"

Liberals believe the world can live in peace and harmony and that (which would be a wonderful thing) will never happen because there will always be radical muslims types, Hitler types, and just down right evil people who like to maim, murder, rape and pillage. It is just the way the world is, sad but true.

Both sides have their handful of emotion driven zombies.

But honestly conservative and Libertarian ideology is based on reasonable thought while Social Liberalism is a perversion of Libertarianism caused by emotional influences and personal feelings clouding reasonable thought.

So of course there will be more emotionally driven Liberals, than emotionally driven conservatives, how ever there are some social liberals who are not emotionally driven, but rather misguided by those emotionally driven away from reasonable thought.

Again both sides of the isle has their hands full of emotionally driven members, but this doesn't mean there aren't some members who would actually try to reason.

Conservatives do not have a hammerlock on reasonableness or reality.

Liberals are not wimps.

I am a militant moderate. there are two or three or seventy versions about what should go on, and no one has a hammerlock on reality.

If you are conservative you are not caring. If you are liberal, you are an air-headed do-gooder.

Right?

not in my book. there are intelligent people throughout the political spectrum. There are tough people on both sides of the issues.

It falls to those of us who call ourselves moderate to try to mediate between folks who are polarized by dogma, to work through things.

I have spent many years as a "conservative" and my current views are often considered li8beral, but I would like to be described as pragmatic. I'm all for whatever works.

No. It's the Repubs that appeal to the emotions - have you ever seen Glen Beck bawling on his program? John "Agent Orange" Boehner can cry on cue. Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann are always yapping about "patriotism," if that ain't trying to manipulate you emotionally, I don't know what manipulation is.

Don't confuse "reason" with the typical Republican "F*** you, I'm elected" attitude.

Case in point: George Dubya used the fear and grief caused by 9/11 to whip up a frenzy of revenge to legitimize a illegal and horrendously costly war that served no purpose other than to make thousands of widows and grieving US families, and tens of thousands of grieving Iraqi families mourning the deaths of civilian victims. Are you expecting all those liberal Iraqis to forgive Bush and Cheney for that?

I think it's the other way around. Conservatives are more likely to either try to sway you with religion and passion, or they will just decide that you will not get along and leave it at that. Liberals will generally get more into logic and reason and try to nitpick people's opinions, asking them if it really makes sense for them to think that way. That's why it's mostly liberals who go into political journalism and studying history and stuff.

No. I am sorry but I do not. Both liberals and conservatives make their stances based on emotion more often than logic or reason.

Individuals differ of course but as groups, both tend to ignore reason when it doesn't support their view.

Sit back and watch the discourse. Both sides will present their logical points and reasoned arguments and neither side will pay the others arguments the slightest heed. Both sides are capable of telling you or me why we are wrong but they do not care for our reasons about why they may be wrong. They are simply right and if you don't agree with them than you are wrong.

Presenting a reasonable argument doesn't mean you are reasonable. The other half is listening to a reasonable argument and being willing to acknowledge it. That half is missing for liberals and conservatives. They are unwilling to consider any position but their own and that is not a practice of reason.

Each has different priorities. Liberals look up poverty statistics and decide that the government is failing because there shouldn't be people suffering from poverty. To them, the answer is government intervention. Conservatives look at unemployment statistics and decide that the government is in the way of the free market because we need more jobs so people can take care of their families. They focus on jobs rather than on poverty because a job is the best way to end poverty. (a decent job and low unemployment)

No I don't. I live by logic and reason.

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"I absolutely agree. Liberals are all about "fair". "

Yeah, screw "fairness". What's good about that? (Thanks for the laugh).

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"Liberals usually follow their party line"

And of course, Republicans usually don't. Great point!

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Ann Onimus:

"I agree with your question: you

can't argue nor even reasonably discuss any issue with

any liberal using reason and logic".

I'd love to have the opportunity to take you apart with logic and reason. (And what's up with the funky indentation? Is there a subliminal message contained in it somewhere?)

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"The libs have to kill, steal and destroy in order to fool people".

Stop me before I kill again! (Holy crap, do you actually believe this crap you say?)