Disagreements

As the political campaigns battle on, some thoughts have surfaced I wish to share. 

I had a vituperative email discussion (seems oxymoron-ish, but it isn’t!) with a neighbor who is a conservative, entrenched, anti-government fear mongerer. His fear is real. His disdain for others who think differently than he, visceral. I suspected his arguments would be one sided, mean spirited and distinctly uncivil. I wasn’t prepared for the reality, however!  

Any sentence I wrote was twisted and turned around to mean something unintended by me. Each word was parsed for a second or third meaning. Why the fellow quite frankly took off on every phrase with vigor and spittle. I could just envision him frothing at the mouth. How very unpleasant. And unnecessary.  But I have continued thinking about him and worrying about his well-being.  

I have a difficult time understanding why a person feels as angry as he does. I wonder how he got to that place. Some thoughts come to mind that help understand it.  I know the man to be well into his 80’s. I know he is halt and labored of movement. I know he is a grumbler, has been for some years. Quick of tongue and opinion; not of lent ear.

In short I am getting a picture of an angry old man who has a limited future and is feeling frustrated. Problem is he has been in this frame of mind for several years so why not use it constructively? Why didn’t he use his energy and thinking a few years ago and do something with it? Now time is running low for him. As the finish line nears he is energized more so to spit out his frustration. If only he would give others a chance; hear them, allow them to hear him; share meaning among and between. He might find the situation is not as dire as he thinks it is; or that there is a chance to bring order and sense to it at the very least. But now. He wastes energy. And his time. 

Here are a few reactions I’d like to share. He claims I’m biased for Obama. He claims I’m a liberal who is out of touch with the world. He claims the government under Obama has created the basis for the destruction of America. But when countered with the opposite, he claims he is not a republican but a conservative. Whatever that means to others, it means something entirely different to him, evidently! 

As I countenance the landscape of republican candidates for president, I see no individuals who have brightened the scene or American discussion. I see panderers seeking votes among the lowest of common denominators. I see attackers of American values in the name of those same values; talk about oxymoron!  Lord spare me this drivel. The republicans have done great harm to themselves. Their brand is diminished if not destroyed. If they think they are shining beacons of hope for the nation, they need to sincerely study their image in the mirror.  

I found an image on the Internet of a poster board held up for public view. On it were printed these statements. I think they are quite good as summaries of where we stand at this moment in our political history: 

“Why I support Obama:

1. For 30 years I’ve heard politicians talking about health care reform and he’s the first one to do something about it. The Affordable Care Act removes restrictions on pre-existing conditions, makes health care more affordable for small businesses, raises the age at which children can be on their parents’ policies, removes lifetime caps, and more. With the possible exception of insurance exec’s, who would not want these changes?
2. He ended the war in Iraq and is drawing the war in Afghanistan to a close. Like he said he would.
3. He thinks women should have access to free preventative health care. Why is this still an issue?
4. He believes in equality for all people and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work and the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
5. He is promoting and investing in clean energy jobs. Finally.
6. He supports education by giving more flexibility to No Child Left Behind (thank you!) and by making college aid more available.
7. He thinks millionaires and billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us. Really, this is a no brainer.
8. Despite inheriting one of the worst economic messes since the Great Depression, he added 2.6 million private sector jobs to our economy, and indications are that the economy is slowly improving. To anyone who thinks it’s been too slow – don’t you know you can’t turn the Titanic around in a day?

I voted for him before and I will vote for him again.”

I think this is an excellent summary of where we are 3 years after Obama entered the White House. Now if Congress would collaborate and move the forward together. Just think how much could be done if we were all pulling our oars in the same direction!

Getting things done because they are needed.

March 7, 2012