I really hate to do this...but

[Bramblewine]

12 hours ago, Rand E said:

 

As such, I take a very dim view of those who feel they have the right to interfere in this thing we do, or to try to impose their contrary morals and values on us.  This is especially egregious when folks who are against adult spanking, or any other sexual kink for that matter, don't simply disapprove, or express their disapproval, but try to use their political or economic power penalize and punish those with whom they disagree, especially if they try to enlist the coercive power of government to achieve those ends. 

That's a far cry, though, from an individual spanko considering potential partners' political views a deal breaker (or deal maker?).

Personally, I think it's silly to draw such a hard line as she has, but to each their own.

[rubyredd]

55 minutes ago, Bramblewine said:

That's a far cry, though, from an individual spanko considering potential partners' political views a deal breaker (or deal maker?).

Personally, I think it's silly to draw such a hard line as she has, but to each their own.

If the political views relate to a moral issue it is absolutely valid to discount a potential partner. I wouldn't meet with someone who didn't support certain things - because those things matter to me. I wouldn't choose to meet with someone whose political beliefs were at the opposite end of the spectrum from me because I consider those beliefs to be linked to our moral compass. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by rubyredd
Typo

[Bramblewine]

44 minutes ago, rubyredd said:

If the political views relate to a moral issue it is absolutely valid to discount a potential partner. I wouldn't meet with someone who didn't support certain things - because those things matter to me. I wouldn't choose to meet with someone whose political beliefs were at the opposite end of the spectrum from me because I consider those beliefs to be linked to our moral compass. 

Sure, but excluding all Republicans (or, as her wording implies, all people who ever vote for Republican candidates), no matter where on the Republican spectrum they fall? That's not just the opposite end of the political spectrum. That's not just political views relating to a moral issue, either. (Arguably, Trump is a moral issue, but not all Republicans support him.)

[Rand E]

2 hours ago, Bramblewine said:

That's a far cry, though, from an individual spanko considering potential partners' political views a deal breaker (or deal maker?).

Personally, I think it's silly to draw such a hard line as she has, but to each their own.

I tend to stay open-minded when family or friends have different political views.  Even my spouse and I aren't on the same page on everything.  But we all manage to keep political discussions civil and rational.  We can agree to disagree. 

The other problem is that views can change over time.  I don't think either my wife or I have the same views as when we got married.  We're not about to get divorced over differences in political views.  Nevertheless, having more compatible views with your spouse or partner can't hurt.

The one thing that would certainly be a deal-breaker, either in choosing friends or a mate, would be if that person was one of those zealots who piss their pants whenever they hear some view or political opinion with which they disagree.  Those folks are welcome to go hassle somebody else and hopefully leave me alone.

[Rand E]

2 hours ago, rubyredd said:

If the political views relate to a moral issue it is absolutely valid to discount a potential partner. I wouldn't meet with someone who didn't support certain things - because those things matter to me. I wouldn't choose to meet with someone whose political beliefs were at the opposite end of the spectrum from me because I consider those beliefs to be linked to our moral compass. 

I don't think you need to use politics as some sort of proxy for evaluating a persons values, morals, or ethics.  Those are personal characteristics that transcend politics and touch on so many more areas of a person's character.  Things you want to know when you are choosing a partner.  

[Rand E]

3 hours ago, Bramblewine said:

That's a far cry, though, from an individual spanko considering potential partners' political views a deal breaker (or deal maker?).

Personally, I think it's silly to draw such a hard line as she has, but to each their own.

This reminds me of an episode of The Big Bang Theory where the group is discussing a guy and a gal they know who recently got engaged.  One of the group comments to the effect  "But he believes in String Theory and she believes in Loop Quantum Gravity.  How will they raise the kids?"

[rubyredd]

2 hours ago, Bramblewine said:

Sure, but excluding all Republicans (or, as her wording implies, all people who ever vote for Republican candidates), no matter where on the Republican spectrum they fall? That's not just the opposite end of the political spectrum. That's not just political views relating to a moral issue, either. (Arguably, Trump is a moral issue, but not all Republicans support him.)

Also true. 

[SpankDiscipline]

On 3/26/2022 at 1:26 PM, Bramblewine said:

How are you defining Republican supporter?

Most Americans vote for both parties at least occasionally. Depending on where they live, there may not be much choice. My politics are left leaning, similarly to yours, and have been as long as I've been old enough to formulate my own opinions, but for several years of that I lived in Arizona, which was such a heavily Republican state at the time that there weren't always any non-Republican candidates to vote for, in the local and statewide races. I did vote for Republicans in those cases. Some of them, like John McCain and Jane Hull, I really thought well of. (But I did not vote for McCain when he ran for president, because Obama had my vote hands down. If McCain had been up against someone like Trump, I would have.)

 

Barack Obama was the biggest gift Republicans ever had until Joe Biden came along.  During the Obama Presidency Democrats lost 11 Senate Seats,62 House Seats, 12 governorships, and a whopping 958 seats in state legislatures.  Democrats won the White House but lost the country paving  the way for Donald Trump.  Now this year a very unpopular Joe Biden and Democrat failures on everything Americans care about including high gas prices and runaway inflation in general be prepared for a Red Tsunami in November.  The American people liked Obama but they hated his policies, with Donald Trump they loved his policies but hated the man.  With Biden Americans don’t like the man or his policies so the loses Obama brought to the Democrats may be much smaller than what lies ahead.  One thing for sure November 9th is going to be one of the saddest days in the history of the Democrat Party. 

[Rand E]

5 hours ago, SpankDiscipline said:

 

Barack Obama was the biggest gift Republicans ever had until Joe Biden came along.  During the Obama Presidency Democrats lost 11 Senate Seats,62 House Seats, 12 governorships, and a whopping 958 seats in state legislatures.  Democrats won the White House but lost the country paving  the way for Donald Trump.  Now this year a very unpopular Joe Biden and Democrat failures on everything Americans care about including high gas prices and runaway inflation in general be prepared for a Red Tsunami in November.  The American people liked Obama but they hated his policies, with Donald Trump they loved his policies but hated the man.  With Biden Americans don’t like the man or his policies so the loses Obama brought to the Democrats may be much smaller than what lies ahead.  One thing for sure November 9th is going to be one of the saddest days in the history of the Democrat Party. 

Those sorts of shifts favoring the opposition party are typical of mid-term elections.  We will see if the upcoming mid-terms are out of line with the norm.  But given Biden's first year in office, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a bit larger shift this time.  In any case, I don't expect it to change anything much.  We're on an inescapable downhill slide for sure.  

[Child of Light]

*Thread warning

Posts have been removed. You can debate a topic without attacking the person. 

[dmirk]

I wouldn't let someone's political opinions into a spanking situation.

In terms of my own political leanings, I'm a Democrat.  I respect honest conservatives even as I disagree on the philosophy.  The MAGA crowd is a different story.  As a Democrat I really hope that the Republican Party can return to fiscal restraint and return to having their own good proposals as opposed to just putting sand in the gears, which is its current policy.

McCain was a conservative I had utmost respect for.  He might well have been elected president had the part not insisted on Palin for a running mate.  I wouldn't have voted for him.  

A current example of a full-throated conservative who I respect is Liz Cheney (much to my own shock).

The divide in the Republican Party is not just bad for the party, but for the nation.

The country was at its height with the parties talking with each other and working together to work out acceptable compromises.  Most interestingly, that period had what we would now consider high taxes on the wealthy and corporations - and they supported that!

You can't do it without an amendment, but I'd much prefer a parliamentary system because it forces cooperation and has the self-correcting feature of no-confidence votes that force an election.  That's happening right now in the UK.

[SkipNC]

Dmirk, a parliamentary system is a lofty aspiration.  However, in my opinion, it works best with multiple parties in parliament and with little chance of a majority for one party.  That generally means some form of proportional representation.  We'd have to move from ballot papers to ballot books.  Not saying I'm against it, but it would take a lot of education.

As an aside the vote of no confidence in the UK would have changed the leader of the majority party but would probably not have resulted in an early general election.

[Rand E]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:46 PM, Child of Light said:

*Thread warning

Posts have been removed. You can debate a topic without attacking the person. 

Ha ha.  I wish I could read that post.  Even if it was ornery.  We all need to get a thicker skin in this day and age.  

[Bramblewine]

11 hours ago, Rand E said:

Ha ha.  I wish I could read that post.  Even if it was ornery.  We all need to get a thicker skin in this day and age.  

It was basically, "You're stupid if you think [opinion that had been expressed]." 

If you wish you could read four-year-old level insults, there are plenty of unmoderated sites out there.

[Rand E]

10 hours ago, Bramblewine said:

It was basically, "You're stupid if you think [opinion that had been expressed]." 

If you wish you could read four-year-old level insults, there are plenty of unmoderated sites out there.

I first try to engage folks when they get emotional.  If they really are just trolls, they don't usually reply, and good riddance.  But it takes a soft touch.  Sometimes, folks settle down and can actually have a rational discussion on difficult topics if people don't respond to them harshly.  Childish insults are harmless.  Nevertheless, I realize that the policy is to avoid letting one nasty remark trigger a nasty reply and then back-and-forth turning into a full-blown food-fight as others pile on.            

[Bramblewine]

16 hours ago, Rand E said:

I first try to engage folks when they get emotional.  If they really are just trolls, they don't usually reply, and good riddance.  But it takes a soft touch.  Sometimes, folks settle down and can actually have a rational discussion on difficult topics if people don't respond to them harshly.  Childish insults are harmless.  Nevertheless, I realize that the policy is to avoid letting one nasty remark trigger a nasty reply and then back-and-forth turning into a full-blown food-fight as others pile on.            

That was what happened. There were at least one or two nasty responses before it all got deleted.

Edited June 15, 2022 by Bramblewine

[ISPANK]

If you’re not a liberal when you’re 23 you have no heart, if you’re still a liberal when you turn 40 you have no brain.

Edited July 10, 2022 by ISPANK

[Drooaygah]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:52 PM, ISPANK said:

If you’re not a liberal when you’re 23 you have no heart, if you’re still a liberal when you turn 40 you have no brain.

At 40, I was a bit more conservative than in my youth.

Now in my 50's, I am far more liberal. 

It's possible to function with heart and brain.

[Drooaygah]

I should also point out that I draw a distinction between what I think of as "conervative"(ism), in my mind a position or positions on (mostly) economics policies regarding the role of of government in citizen's lives - as practiced by say, Reagan, the Bushes etc - one which I largely don't agree with but don't think of as The Enemy .... and the Trump Trip or whatever you want to call it - which is really something else entirely.

[Bramblewine]

8 hours ago, Drooaygah said:

I should also point out that I draw a distinction between what I think of as "conervative"(ism), in my mind a position or positions on (mostly) economics policies regarding the role of of government in citizen's lives - as practiced by say, Reagan, the Bushes etc - one which I largely don't agree with but don't think of as The Enemy .... and the Trump Trip or whatever you want to call it - which is really something else entirely.

This. That's my thought exactly.

I can get along with people who are conservative. We may disagree on politics, but as long as we've got other things to focus on, we can be friends. To be fair, I don't always agree with liberals either: there are different liberal positions on things. Again, we don't have to vote the same way, let's just not discuss politics if it's going to make us forget why we're spending time together.

With people who are in the cult of Trump, it's not just a case of disagreement. It's that they're not safe people.  

 

[brigitta]

On 7/9/2022 at 10:52 PM, ISPANK said:

If you’re not a liberal when you’re 23 you have no heart, if you’re still a liberal when you turn 40 you have no brain.

That may have been true decades ago. It is not true anymore. Today's "liberals" would have been considered conservative several decades ago. As much as I like the word liberal, I understand why it is being replaced with "progressive." Are we going to have progress or are we going to try to "conserve" the past and pretend it was a golden age worth enshrining. I am 54 and I grow more liberal by the year, and I can assure you, I lack not for brains.

I'm passionate about politics and I understand why it could be a deal breaker with a spanking partner.

Here is how it would come into play for me--can someone who looks upon certain human rights and the way people should be treated differently be a compatible spanking partner? Could they respect me? If they can't respect me, if they can't see me as an equal, we won't be good partners. I don't think I could be a good partner to someone who was a MAGA supporter. I couldn't go over her or his lap and make myself vulnerable. I'd never be able to stop challenging the person. My head would never be in the game, as it were.

Spanking is as much mental as it is physical. There needs to be a connection, there needs to be a mental exchange.

It's not about someone whom I disagree with being a bad person. It's about us not being compatible or being able to form a good, trusting connection. There are millions of people in the world. We don't all have to be able to spend time with each other or be comfortable around each other. Even if we are spankos. 

[EricaScott]

Well... I was for the most part apolitical most of my adult life.

But 2016, and everything that ensued from there, changed all that.

I am firmly in MNee1's camp, and I took this stand several years ago. Anyone who condones that monster is not someone I'd feel safe with.

[MNee1]

4 hours ago, EricaScott said:

Well... I was for the most part apolitical most of my adult life.

But 2016, and everything that ensued from there, changed all that.

I am firmly in MNee1's camp, and I took this stand several years ago. Anyone who condones that monster is not someone I'd feel safe with.

AMEN SISTER!!! 🙂

[David5]

I'm nonpartisan I absolutely denounce both party's. A two party system has gone on way to long. I believe we are the only country to have only two. It does not matter if democrats or republicans win, we the people will always lose. And the establishment will have there way like they always do sense as far as I can remember. And the sad part is it will never change. Not in my lifetime anyway. Big corporation and big pharma run this country. The president is just the man up front telling everyone what is to come and how great it's going to be. They line the pockets of senators that stay in office seems like a lifetime. And the president is going to listen to them and not rock the boat. Remember who the last president was that tried and make big changes and rock the system. The newly formed CIA and Herbert Bush the head of it made sure he wasn't getting out of Dallas alive. Don't even get me started on that entire family. They are the evil incarnated. The only way it's going to change is a great big house cleaning from the top on down. Ask yourself is this right. When I got out of high school in 77 I got a job making 10 bucks a hr. Fast forward to 2012 and some people don't even make that. A lot don't as a matter of fact. It's not because groceries or houses or rent has came down. And nobody does anything about it. And that's how the establishment want the majority of Americans in poverty and uneducated. Dumbed us down so you don't ask any questions just go with the status quo. It's really getting way to obvious to see when we have a man child that does nothing but spew lies out of his mouth and swear it's the truth and then throws a temper tantrum because he's full of shit, another 70+ old man that half the time dont know where hes at. That's the best we got America two senile old goats. Have another great 4 yrs. 

[David5]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:57 PM, Longtimespanking said:

An older relative of mine offered these thoughts which apply to both politics and religion, many decades ago when I was growing up.

No matter what your personal views or convictions might be on such matters, there are always going to be large numbers of very nice people who hold a different or even opposite viewpoint, so it's best to never bring such things into polite conversation.  

Trying to change anyone's viewpoint seems to me to be an exercise in futility and only results in hurt feelings and broken friendships. 

You know when I was growing up everyone kept quiet about politics. They wouldn't even tell you who they voted for