Oh yeah because some news papers and politicians got people worked up. Go back and read some of the things they used to say about each other back then. Today is civil and honest in comparison.
We fought those wars because
1812
a) Due to north englanders, aka the merchants, convincing that it was necessary due to trade restrictions with the British as well impressment.
b) Expansion into the northwesterner terroritories such as Ohio and the fact that the British were trading with those indian heathens
Spanish American War
a) Cuban independence/Destruction of the Maine
Both of these were "we" the United States against an "other." "We fought these wars, even though "We" didn't benefit from such wars but instead a very very small part of our society did.
This is the complete opposite of what you are arguing, this is the exact same point Friedman made.
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Furthermore you didn't rebuke any of my points. With the exception of the civil war, when have we had a system where we treat our political parties as sports teams, where we don't care about results but instead political entertainment and at the same time have instant tactile feedback. We don't read about political debates in the house and senate committees in our black and white newspapers which take days even weeks to reach us (due to the telegraph, merchant lines, horse and carriage etc), no instead it is instantly up on youtube or cspan. We are seeing everything live, and we have institutions which cater on pushing this political entertainment meme for they make advertising/merchandising profits.
Where Did "We" Go?
01/10/2009 09:30:12 PM
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How do you change this though?
01/10/2009 10:51:10 PM
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Pelosi is part of the problem
01/10/2009 11:10:45 PM
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that was hyperbole, as he's said OVER AND OVER
02/10/2009 06:21:16 PM
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really which elected leaders on the right talked about death panels?
02/10/2009 06:41:05 PM
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Dumb column from Friedman.....read a history book.....
01/10/2009 11:15:46 PM
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I disagree, obviously.
02/10/2009 12:11:48 AM
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No, it hasn't always been like this; I think Watergate changed it, and maybe Vietnam.
02/10/2009 02:13:07 AM
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remarkably, i agree with the troll
02/10/2009 06:27:40 AM
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Partisanship, yes, but this is more than that.
02/10/2009 06:57:14 AM
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i see things at a different level than you do
02/10/2009 07:31:24 AM
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Personally, I think you're seeing the cart rather than the horse, but that's just me.
02/10/2009 08:14:46 AM
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Not true
02/10/2009 12:32:58 AM
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why did we fight the Spanish American War and the War of 1812 again?
02/10/2009 04:18:56 AM
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You just completely undermined your point
02/10/2009 06:22:54 AM
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I think the role of cable news is over played
01/10/2009 11:29:26 PM
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Possibly.
02/10/2009 12:02:05 AM
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To many people distrust the media for it to be just the right who distrust them
02/10/2009 04:15:50 AM
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i agree that the fringe has way more power than it should, but...
02/10/2009 06:38:41 AM
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I think Friedman puts it very well when he says...
02/10/2009 11:24:02 AM
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did I read this correctly?
02/10/2009 03:00:33 PM
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As I already told you, this is not about "the left" complaining.
02/10/2009 03:38:15 PM
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it didn't become an issue until it started hurting the left
02/10/2009 04:44:29 PM
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Eh, many aspects of it have been criticized for a long time.
02/10/2009 09:12:22 PM
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also, about clinton, since you say you were too young to remember...
02/10/2009 06:47:45 AM
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really because my memory goes back further then that and things were nasty then to
02/10/2009 03:04:58 PM
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