Let's set aside the substance for the moment. Your post, let me gently suggest, violates the spirit of discourse I have suggested we abide by. Edit your comment, and treat the poster with more respect, as you would like to be treated, I presume. Feel free to disagree. But don't resort to rhetoric and ad hominem attacks -- why suggest the poster has been "______" for example? Surely [his/her] arguments are neither irrational nor unfounded -- treat them seriously, point out your areas of disagreement, and create a space for civilized, respectful, dialog. The more important the politics (and, arguably, few things are more important than _____), the more likely smart, thoughful people are to disagree. That's the nature of deliberative democracy. Don't assume that people who see the political world differently than you do are stupid, rabid ideologues, ill-informed, or have bad intentions. Most don't. Lecture finished! Take another stab at it. . . .Let's not take what passes for political "debate" on TV, in the print media, and on many political blogs as our model. Let's do it better, and hold ourselves to much higher standards.
UPDATE: And, hey, don't be discouraged if you, too, get a message like this from C-Doc. This is a learning process, one with a not-insignificant learning curve. Part of what I'm hoping we'll learn over the course of the semester is a new standard for political debate and persuasive argumentation. The kind of writing I'm asking you to do will be new for most of you. I get that (C-Doc didn't just fall off the, ahem, turnip truck, you know). If by mid-semester I'm making the same observations and comments, well, then we have problems. But for now, not to worry -- it's all part of the process. So, relax, have fun. . . but play nice!
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