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Not so much. The short answer is that there isn't a Democratic equivalent red herring like abortion.

I'm also bothered by the wars and violations of civil liberties going largely unmentioned by either political party.

Again though, there's a huge stigma for being anti-war, or defending the rights of prisoners at Gitmo. Conservative culture being pervasive and all.

In reply to this comment by flavioribeiro:
Gay marriage?

It bothers me that lesser issues completely polarize the debate, while multiple wars (including the war on drugs) and violations of civil liberties (Patriot Act, Guantanamo, the TSA) are left unchallenged, and have been implemented in countries all over the world.

In reply to this comment by NetRunner:
If it can be extended to both parties, what's the Democratic party's version of bringing abortion into every policy debate?

If it can be extended to both parties, what's the Democratic party's version of bringing abortion into every policy debate?

In reply to this comment by flavioribeiro:
That's the typical level of debate I've seen in FOX News.

This summarizes my impression of the last presidential campaigns: http://imgur.com/gallery/YjisN

While this is a caricature of the GOP, it can be easily extended to both parties in the sense that the political discourse is constantly deadlocked by controversial yet less important issues.

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