How did the Left and Right become so extreme

@CountScrofula Indeed. By non-US standards, the Democrats are more moderate right-of-centre than the Republicans.

To hear them described as ”far left” by American commentators is just risible.

@Adeptlinguist I -am- far left and my politics aren't exactly being featured by anyone in power lol.

@CountScrofula Yeah. What I notice is when Republicans move further to the right, there are always those who say "the Democrats need to move toward the center", i.e. move right. And it's like...what? That means both parties are moving rightward. Yet that's somehow presented as some "third way" solution to the problem of extremism...

@Adeptlinguist They are quite left-wing by American standards; but the commentators you quote may be strongly pro-Republican.

The US political spectrum is much to the Right of that of most European nations' equivalents, and some Republican supporters seem to think "Europe" (as if one country) almost Communist.

@CountScrofula Where in the world do you live??? Surely it's not in the U.S...........or else you listen to FOX 24/7.

"The Democrats don't even support universal healthcare, "???????????????? Really?????

Sanders and others on the Dem side have argued for YEARS that a system like Medicare should be implemented for everyone in the U.S........offering universal government ran healthcare for all....... like Medicare/Medicaid. The U.S. is the only country out of the 32 most developed nations on earth that does not offer universal healthcare to it's citizens.........because Republicans cannot find a way to privatize "government run" and make money off of Americans.

So even though Medicare has run perfectly since it's inception...........to serve seniors and the disabled...........and it is absolutely "government run".....the GOP and FOX tells the not too bright in their party that something like that won't work..............and of course that makes it so.

@anythingoes477 Bernie Sanders is an independent lmao, he just ran for President as a Democrat. Some Democratic party politicians do, but it is not the position of the party in general. Obviously. They've been in power a few times.

Obama's landmark health care reform was just more for-profit health care and big bags of money for insurance companies. Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris never once campaigned on it or in Joe's case, tried to implement it.

@CountScrofula Independents and Dems align on many things.........most things. Including universal healthcare. Read a book Dems passed Medicare..........and advocate for Medicaid Expansion.........universal coverage..

And ur wrong...........again....on ur second paragraph. The ACA limits what privately owned insurance companies can charge for healthcare........by limiting charges and offering cheaper alternatives to the large carriers. So in effect the ACA does NOT give more cash to insurance companies...............it does just the opposite by stopping exorbitant over charging for procedures and offering cheaper coverage. This is why big insurance lobbied Red States to prevent open exchanges being available when the ACA was initially signing up people who needed coverage but was not able to afford regular insurance. If the ACA "fed big bags of money into their pockets".......preventing the ACA from signing up people would make no sense. Just like your comment didn't.

@anythingoes477 I don't know what you're arguing, man.

You don't have public health care. The #1 cause of bankruptcies is medical bills.

This is despite repeated Democratic Party rule. Joe Biden never ran on it, Kamala Harris didn't run on it either.