TG,
I mean that conservatives have lost control of the conversation, oftentimes. Of course demonization of 'illegal' came from the left...successfully. If we don't blame conservatives for striking out, then just throw up your hands, I guess....not our fault. If a batter strikes out, I guess its the pitcher's fault. If that batter comes into September below the Mendoza line, then just maybe he is doing a crappy job batting.
By "not dodging the racist tag" I meant more striking out. I don't have answers or mastery of any sort of debate - but I do feel that Trump was calculated, not careless in the way he has talked about Muslims, Mexicans, 'both sides' -- to appeal to a certain base base, without having to be accountable for allowing more division in general population. You seem to imply that those that speak for the right are incapable of effecting the flow of conversation -- I don't believe that - I just think that they've done a lousy job. I very much get the frustration of trying to converse with someone/some group that voices opinions that can't be understood by my mostly logical brain (not naming names today) -- But we have to try. The alternative, which may not be all that unlikely in the US, is a segment of society that eventually, mostly withdraws into itself and away from potentially meaningful, modulating dialog. We need to get our hands off our hips and acknowledge that people on 'the other side' actually believe a lot of what they say and our backing up, shaking our heads and just saying, 'well, that's a flucked up POV", isn't going to get us very far
dstieger wrote: