Sorry I had to let a couple of days pass before responding. I haven't forgotten, by any means.

I'm glad to hear you're not feeling as angry and bitter as I'd feared. That's been gnawing at me for a while, because I don't want you to go away.

I'm trying to get a handle on what seems to be a vast chasm of perception. You describe "the lack of any willingness to compromise by the more vocal liberals of this community", yet, for myself, I've talked a lot about compromise, and for my trouble I've gotten responses like "Compromise is betrayal of principle!" (Tom) To me, seeing compromise with one's fellow Americans as a principle, one embodied in the very concept of democracy, my resulting perception seems to be the exact mirror image of yours: I'm faced with uncompromising fanatics.

Another area where I see a vast gulf is exemplified by this quote from a recent post by Marcia over on Space:

I've recently communicated with Larry J (even though he is a Broncos fan). Nonetheless, he's abandoned this site because of what he terms complete infestation by left wing politics. I suggested that he simply confine himself to the mostly apolitical SPACE page as I do, but to no avail. Too bad, because he really does have good insight into space technology. I think that moonbat politics keeps Jim O scarce here as well. Too bad.

The only time that I can remember the Zone having a distinct political tilt was in the months prior to the invasion of Iraq. Supporters of the war became so engorged with blood lust that they ran off many of the people who dared to say that the Emperor had no clothes. For several months, the Right pretty much had the Zone all to itself, except for a few stubborn masochists like Bowser.

So I have to wonder, could it be that that perception arises not from the mix of views here, but from the perception of some on the Right that they're not winning the debates? I don't mean just here, but against the background of the way that the tide has turned in the fortunes of Republicans/Conservatives generally, out in the world.

Then there's Tom's recurring complaints that nobody listens to him, which I can only interpret to mean that nobody (who doesn't already) agrees with him. Well, what can I say? There's no guarantee that anyone will be persuaded to change his/her mind...should I try to come up with some sort of affirmative-action plan to ensure equality of outcome in the debates?

The history of the HabitableZone almost exactly spans the history of Republican dominance of government, 2001 to the present. Perhaps RightZoners have simply become accustomed to being top dogs, and the decline in fortunes the last few years reflects simply difficulty in adjusting to the new role and status. There's nothing I can do about that, either, and sooner or later Republicans/Conservatives will have to settle in to a new role, as the minority opposition party. I understand that it won't sit well, but that's life. The pendulum has always swung, and people like Hugh Hewitt were delusional in imagining that they could stop it and establish a "permanent Republican majority".

And so it goes....