On: USA Today is getting a paywall. Who’s the audience for it?

[bjourne]

Almost everything is right-wing in the US. The left-wing of the right-wing may be a more appropriate description of USA Today.

[will4274 → bjourne]

> Almost everything is right-wing in the US.

Compared to what?

Compared to a dozen or so of the most liberal countries in the world, all of which are located in Europe - fair enough.

Compared to the world as a whole today, including Asia and Africa? Almost everything in America is left wing, including the republican party and USA today.

Compared to virtually any government anywhere prior to 1800? Again, almost everything in America is left wing, including the republican party and USA today.

[bjourne → will4274]

> Compared to the world as a whole today, including Asia and Africa? Almost everything in America is left wing, including the republican party and USA today.

That is just not true. For example, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Iran, and Sri Lanka has universal health care - the United States does not.

[will4274 → bjourne]

> Iran

Go ahead. Tell me about how Iran is more left wing than the United States. Perhaps they have especially generous rights for women?

The majority of those countries have had coups in the last decade and severely restrict basic liberal political freedoms like free political speech.

Your examples are pretty much an admission that you're wrong, afaict.

[bjourne → will4274]

> Go ahead. Tell me about how Iran is more left wing than the United States.

I just did. Iran has universal health care - the United States does not.

[will4274 → bjourne]

You believe that a theocracy without women's rights, gay rights, free speech, or secularism is more left wing than the United States because it has universal healthcare, and that the Democratic party is conservative compared to Ayatollah Khamenei?

[bjourne → will4274]

Yes. Now find me a source for the claim "Almost everything in America is left wing, including the republican party and USA today", will you?

[will4274 → bjourne]

I mean, if you think a single issue (healthcare) sufficies for your point, then a single issue suffices for my point as well. So free speech. The United States had the most liberal (left wing) laws on free speech in the world.

But I don't think it's about one issue - it's about all of them, taken as a whole. And I think you know that and I don't think you're arguing in good faith by acting otherwise. So I'm not going to reply anymore.

[bjourne → will4274]

So no source for the claim "Almost everything in America is left wing, including the republican party and USA today". Gotcha. I'm not going to continue this conversation since you are spreading unsubstantiated garbage.

[will4274 → bjourne]

As I said, both American parties (and USA today) are left wing compared to the rest of the world in their views on freedom of speech.

I'm not sure why you are asking for a source.. you didn't provide one for your perspective, and the facts are not really in dispute here, only the analysis.

[brewdad → will4274]

Actually, the US free speech laws are far more libertarian, ie. classical liberalism, not the "left-wing" liberalism of today. So really, you just proved the US is in fact right-wing.