Republicans are Republicans because they hate Democrats, not because they love the GOP. Trump's insults-first approach to politics catches this mood.I would add that many Democrats I know seem mainly motivated by hatred of evangelical preachers and whining billionaires, rather than affection for the Democratic Party or belief in its platform. And many Americans don't bother to vote because they hate both parties.
The politics of America seem to be mainly about what we hate. Obama caught fire because he offered, instead, something for people to aspire to. But six years of watching him beat his head against the wall of the Republican Congress has left everyone even more cynical.
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There are always people of both sides who feel this way. Sometimes, I feel this way.
The problem on the Republican side is that this has become epidemic, an exaggeration of the normal human tendency.
It's not really new. I recall when I lived in the Bay Area, there was a talk radio guy whose TV ads ended, "So tune in, and lets drive those liberals crazy." I saw a commenter on FB saying the main thing about Trump she liked was he scared liberals.
I haven't see any liberals talking that way about Bernie Sanders, an actual socialist, who you'd suspect would be perfect at pissing of theright. Rather, the Sanders supporters are accenting his points, posting quotes, etc.
I once made a similar comment about Obama's Peace Prize, but that was because it was the only thing I liked about him getting the prize - it seemed premature at best, and possibly a mistake. The only thing I liked was the entertainingly unreasoned apoplexy of the right in response to it.
I similarly enjoy the problems the right is having dealing with Trump, but it is a long-term comeuppance for them after years of their media fostering this sort of stupidity.
As I find myself saying a lot nowadays, the difference between a 60% red state and a 60% blue state is one in five voters.
That works for certain types of dysfunction, as well. It's not that no liberals have the normal human desire to piss off political opponents, nor that all conservatives want to piss of liberals. Rather, it's like the difference between 40% and 60%. At some point, pissing off liberals became the goal for a significant number of conservatives.
"As I find myself saying a lot nowadays, the difference between a 60% red state and a 60% blue state is one in five voters."
Technically, it's one in five voters who actually bother to vote. Our turnout rates are pretty low, so it's more like one voter in ten.
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