Reddit reviews The Party Is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted

Too true. Since the late 70's the media arm of the GOP has done an excellent job at demonizing the words Democrat and Liberal. They're literally used as general derogatory descriptors in Texas.

EDIT: For those saying or insinuating that the left is equally guilty of this, not by a long shot. Of course Democrats will take any opportunity to disparage all Republicans even if it's only some of them behaving badly - but that's not what I'm talking about. The GOP has honed this craft to a fine art through talk radio and various propaganda outlets which masquerade as "news." It was a brilliant strategy, really:

Step 1) Portray "government" as the problem to everything

Step 2) Drive home the message that Democrats/left are the party of government

Step 3) Ensure that government cannot actually function in order to fulfill Step #1

Step 4) Win elections by pointing to #1 and #2

The dysfunctional, hyper-polarized political environment that we find ourselves in now is not equally the fault of both parties and one party has clearly done a better job at whipping it's base into a frothing fury over the last 30 years.

Two good books (one from a long time ex-Republican strategist) if anyone is interested in learning more about how we got here and what can be done to change it:

The Party is Over

It's Even Worse Than it Looks

This is analogous to how politicians are influenced by lobbyists' donations even if they honestly aren't aware of the influence. There's a deeply-ingrained psychological tendency in people to reciprocate when someone does them a "favor". There's a good book that goes into this called The Party Is Over.

Wrong, I think you need to read this. Both parties are complicit, but the level of complicity is not equal.

I like libertarian ideals, personal responsibility and accountability for your actions, the NAP especially. I like that they are rising in awareness. But they are ideals, a "libertarian" utopia like society where the unfettered free-pmarket controls all, is not reality. A place 'without a government,' is going to form one.