I have Republican friends. I have great political conversations with people who’s political leanings and inclinations are much more free-market, up by your bootstraps, individualist than I. And that is as it should be. The United States thrives as a nation because varied points of view air out issues.
The Hate That Ignorance Produced
However, the Gallant Old Party is moving perilously close to the edge of sanity, led by extremists (religious and otherwise) who’s fear of authoritarian dictatorship and fundamentalist’s interpretation of the Constitution, coupled with zealot’s ferocity, historical white privilege and economic woes.
People like Allen West, Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump and yes, the Republican nominee for the Presidency of the United States, Mitt Romney, are falling over themselves catering to a movement which boasts Jared Laughner among it’s proponents. In his latest “victory” speech, Mr. Romney claimed that President Barack Obama is “un-American”, a popular refrain by those who need to cast the black man in the White House as other to assure themselves that they will one day get “their” country back.
How then, nationally, is civilized discourse possible? Even in small corners of the social media world, like Instagram, this pool of hatred pops and drops small bubbles that stain our national discourse.
Not only does it impact those of us on the left side of the political spectrum, but this pull leaves moderate Republicans and independents who don’t ascribe to the Joe Arpaio’s view of the world in a yawning chasm. And as they pull further and further right, they become more isolated, more hateful, and more dangerous to the body politic (and to the citizenry).
They’ve gone over the righteous edge.
Related articles
- Robert J. Elisberg: How the GOP Has Turned Itself Into GOOP (huffingtonpost.com)
- The Looney Tunes Version of the GOP Campaigns (papundits.wordpress.com)
Amazing, and true, but for some reason, they’re unable to see how their big lurch to the right is alienating the majority of Americans. The only explanation I can think of is that they’ve been so indoctrinated by Fox, RW radio entertainers, and RW bloggers that they have become numb to the introduction of any facts into any conversation.
Which is a constant thorn! I enjoy talking/arguing with people of a different political persuasion, but I also enjoy dealing in fact-based conversation which is more and more infrequent. Thanks for taking the time to read AND comment. Spread the Word.