I recently had a discussion with one of my conservatives friends and she made a statement that really got me thinking. Her statement? That "Nothing a liberal says can be considered the truth." When I asked her to explain, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said "that's just the way it is." When I asked her again, she simply said "Obama has been lying since he was elected and he does not share core American values, and neither do liberals." How did we come to this point in our political discourse when otherwise educated individuals can actually believe this nonsense?
Who is responsible for creating this narrative that only Republicans are "real Americans" and therefore, are the only ones to be believed? My position is quite forward. I believe we all want what is best for America. We simply disagree on the means to accomplish these shared goals. When I expressed that to my friend, her response was priceless; "You may be a brilliant historian, but you know nothing about what is happening in America and that by believing we share common goals, you have disclosed yourself as being more "blue than red." Aside from the fact that I am White Jewish guy (not exactly blue or red), I could not believe she actually meant what she said to me. It did not take long for me to end the conversation with a simple statement, "I bleed Red, White and Blue" and being a child of the Cold War Era, being "RED" has never been a positive thing. The mantra I recall from my youth was "Better Dead than Red!"
But how far have we come? How much longer do we need to go to bring us back to common ground? As long as one political party thinks they have the exclusive right to discern right from wrong, and represent American patriotism vs. UnAmerican radicalism, we will remain "lost in the woods." Let's hope the political discourse in America turns a corner within the next year and we collectively return to our senses. There is enough blame to go around and be shared by both political parties. It is up to US to force them back to their senses!
Have a great and safe Labor Day!
Who is responsible for creating this narrative that only Republicans are "real Americans" and therefore, are the only ones to be believed? My position is quite forward. I believe we all want what is best for America. We simply disagree on the means to accomplish these shared goals. When I expressed that to my friend, her response was priceless; "You may be a brilliant historian, but you know nothing about what is happening in America and that by believing we share common goals, you have disclosed yourself as being more "blue than red." Aside from the fact that I am White Jewish guy (not exactly blue or red), I could not believe she actually meant what she said to me. It did not take long for me to end the conversation with a simple statement, "I bleed Red, White and Blue" and being a child of the Cold War Era, being "RED" has never been a positive thing. The mantra I recall from my youth was "Better Dead than Red!"
But how far have we come? How much longer do we need to go to bring us back to common ground? As long as one political party thinks they have the exclusive right to discern right from wrong, and represent American patriotism vs. UnAmerican radicalism, we will remain "lost in the woods." Let's hope the political discourse in America turns a corner within the next year and we collectively return to our senses. There is enough blame to go around and be shared by both political parties. It is up to US to force them back to their senses!
Have a great and safe Labor Day!
RSS Feed
