Is "group think" the problem with our country?

I agree that they are not as worried about the people they represent. I wouldn't say they are more worried about their job, I would say they are more worried about their pocket book. Many of them leave congress to make "real money" (I would be more than happy to make $100,000 a year, but their insane benefits, not to mention their pension). I agree that with your compromise thought. It doesn't always work, but it has a much better track record than the laws brought from one party rule.

And I'd like to know when it became 'hate' and 'extreme' to advocate for limited government, lower taxes, family values, and following the Constitution? YOUR OPINION is that it is hateful and extreme. Half the country feels differently than you. I hear and read threats of murder, rape and dragging conservativers behind trucks from liberals regularly on twitter and FB, doesn't that make THEM haters and extreme?

Deb, the difference, as you point out, is that when you listen to Alan Colmes it is based on a right wing station. They expect to hear their gospel, when they don't hear it, they call in and question what they are saying because it isn't what the hear the rest of the day. This isn't a bad thing that you hear different things, and it is good that you listen to other sources. How often to you hear the same talking points on all of the shows (either right winger, or liberal)? When I scan through the shows I the right winger talking about the same thing. Now it might be the same way with the liberals, but their isn't other options on over the air radio. By the way, as part of your second response, I know that Alan Colmes has been threatened on his show by conservatives. I also know that I have been threatened by conservatives when I used to go into the chat rooms. This doesn't defend the hate radio that you are speaking of, and it should be stopped, and the people called out for their actions. But, I refer to right wing hate radio because I notice a more pointed, one sided out look on right wing radio that uses hate to push it's point. You are not told to complain to your congressmen, you are told you should THREATEN your congressmen. How many times have you heard right wingers spew hate that you hear on right wing radio? I have talked to many true conservatives, who have noticed this change in the last 10 years, and have made it a point to show republicans how they are controlled by the hate.

But what YOU fail to point out is the hate from the liberal side. Do some research on tweets and FB posts and responses. One example: http://twitchy.com/2012/08/18/jon-lovitz-treated-to-another-round-of-liberal-hate-after-criticizing-obama/ I don't deny, conservatives can be hateful just like liberals. I see derogatory posts about Michelle Obama on FB and twitter, and sometimes I even respond with a 'what does that accomplish'. I've even given credit where credit is due concerning our president... What I cannot abide is your ONLY pointing out the 'right winger' as hateful. You and I are both opinionated people. We cuss each other on a regular basis and call one another names too. But neither one of us post threats to kill one another on here. I wonder though what would be said if we were followers of one another on FB or twitter? Since you obviously infer that it is 'right wingers' only who do this, you are not telling the entire story here and contributing to the problem we are seeing in the public political forum. As for Alan Colmes and other liberals on FOX, there have been instances where an argument erupted between the liberal and the conservative about an issue but Chris Matthews, Bill Maher, and others of the left winger sort take the cake for hateful rhetoric against conservatives.