I am often mystified by those who call dKos inhabitants "fringe." Okay, let's assume that's true for a moment. Let's say that we at dKos are indeed the freaky radical left-wing nuts that we're often painted as. Let's compare ourselves to the other side's fringe, shall we?
SCIENCE
Left Wing Fringe (LWF): Government should fully fund and support pure science, in terms of useful research and implementation, with the intent to improve our lives while being respnsible stewards of the planet, all the while forwarding our understanding of the physical universe, leading to undreamt of discoveries.
Right Wing Fringe (RWF): Redefine science to include untestable supernatural explanations that prop up efforts to undermine knowledge that challenges literal interpretation of scripture; rewrite or suppress science when it conflicts with big business.
TAXES
Left Wing Fringe (LWF): We need a system where everyone pays a fair share in proportion to their total wealth in order to properly fund the functioning of government at all levels; taxes should be a low as possible, but not at the expense of financial responsibility; the wealthy should not be able to get out of paying their share thru numerous loopholes and tax-shelters.
Right Wing Fringe (RWF): Eliminate as many taxes as possible, with a special focus on the most wealthy; where taxes are unavoidable, place the burden on the poor.
CORPORATIONS
LWF: When necessary, enforce responsible corporate citizenship; hold corporations responsible for their misdeeds; keep corporations out of the political process; reward corporations for giving all their workers a living wage; encourage competition while preventing monopoly abuse.
RWF: Remove any and all barriers to corporate action; allow corporations to establish government policy and influence elections.
THE ENVIRONMENT
LWF: We are stewards of the environment, and it must be taken care of in a responsible way.
RWF: The resources of our planet are ours to use as we will, no matter what the costs to ourselves or our children.
ENERGY
LWF: Decrease dependence on crude oil by discovering and employing sources of energy that are cleaner and more efficient; promote sources of energy that keep money in America.
RWF: Continue dependence on crude oil and avoid new technological advances in energy.
THE MEDIA
LWF: Media should be more interested in reporting news than in supporting a political agenda; news should only be presented after rigorous fact-checking and ample investigation; the principle of "fair and balanced" should apply to the covering of events and presentation of facts, not just giving all sides a voice regardless of veracity of their content; a principle duty of the press is to protect against the excesses of government, not to act as a vehicle for state propaganda.
RWF: Any news that insists on sticking to facts is partisan liberal junk; the press should never question or criticize a president while U.S. troops are engaged in fighting, unless the president is a Democrat; since the corporate media is concerned with ratings, content should be focused on hype, promoting non-news content (i.e. advertising network programs), and drama (even if it has to be artificially created).
HEALTH CARE
LWF: Every American should have access to affordable health care.
RWF: Every American should have access to health care, as long as they can afford it.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
LWF: America should act as a guiding nation by example of excellent behavior; global conflicts should be handled through negotiation and international coalition building, with engagement of troops as a last resort; attacking other nations should only happen when there is a direct and undeniable threat; America should use a portion of its vast resources to relieve other populations' suffering from poverty and disease.
RWF: Attack first, ask questions later; screw other nations, we do what we want.
DEFENSE
LWF: We should have a strong, well-equipped, and expertly-trained volunteer military; in fighting extremism, our primary efforts should be put into safeguarding our gates of entry; when we are attacked by terrorists, we should do everything in our power to find and punish the people who actually attacked us.
RWF: See "foreign affairs."
CIVIL LIBERTIES
LWF: Keep and enforce privacy rights, especially as outlined in the 4th Amendment; make abortions safe, legal, and rare; support gay and lesbian unions and marriages; continue to eliminate overt and institutional discrimination from our society.
RWF: Eliminate or ignore privacy rights, including the 4th Amendment; outlaw homosexuality and all abortions; ignore or perpetuate discrimination.
Remember, these are the very fringes of both sides, the real wackos. I could add a lot more categories, including economics, education, and governmental power. Perhaps some of you can fill in the blanks.
It just seems like when I look at these comparisons, the LWF doesn't sound so terribly wacko. To me, they seem just kinda common-sensical. I mean, certainly people in the RWF must realize that their positions are, well, kinda out there, right? Don't they?