If anything convinces me that I don’t want to be a liberal or a Democrat, it is the way they treat others who happen to disagree with them.
Ironic to me that those supposedly dominated by compassionate ideals would say such horrendous things about another human being. And the only true distinction made is political beliefs. Rapists and adulterers are defended ad nauseum if they happen to support liberal causes, and perfectly fine people, at least as far as we know, are accused of the most horrible motivations.
I’ll give an example. For some reason, Sarah Palin is the beneficiary of such hate in ways that would appall liberals if the same actions were levied against one of their own. How would they feel if conservatives made T-shirts calling Pelosi or Hillary Clinton a “c*nt” or hacking in her private email or burning down the church building she attends? This doesn’t include the constant references to her being “stupid” or an “idiot” or her abilities as a wife or mother, which again, would be a reprehensible attack against feminism if done to a liberal female political leader.
Of course, the way George Bush was attacked for 6 or 8 years was borderline insane. It is not insane to disagree with his political ideas, even all of them, but insane to interpret everything he does as not only wrong but motivated by some deep evil intent.
As I’ve made my own observations or opinions known, I’ve been accused of just blindly accepting all conservative beliefs, and someone who is supposedly my friend recently implied that any misgivings I might have about universal healthcare is related to a desire to see more poor people die.
Others might be different, but for me, that’s probably not the way I’m going to begin to consider a differing view, and that’s for two reasons. Number one, it shows a lack of an ability to truly hear what another is saying, which by nature means that no intelligent conversation or exchange will take place. And two, if you have to insult others to make your point, you don’t actually have one.
All of this has led to my stubborn refusal to question Obama’s deep motivations while disagreeing with his policies and ideas. Because seeing the ugliness of that level pervasive in the media, I choose not to step down to it.
It is my right, and some might even say duty, to disagree with leadership where conscience dictates, and it is the duty of citizens and educated people to critically analyze the ruling power, but I cannot know the deep motivations of the heart of another man … unless God somehow reveals them to me.
There were things Bush did that I did not think were wise, but for all I know he did them out of a desire to help and do a good thing, as wrong as those things might have been. I feel the same way about Obama. He truly believes that doing certain things will help others.
And even my stubborn refusal to question Obama’s deep motivations have gotten dirty looks from my conservative friends at times. Of course my conservative friends are just as capable of saying the same types of things. Like “Obama wants to destroy our nation” or other things. And when I open my big mouth to make sure I don’t take part in questioning aspects of character I can’t know, then an awkward vibe settles on the room.
And where Obama has done things that I think are good or positive, I have and will continue to acknowledge those things, something most liberals were not able to do for 6 years or so for the previous president. And I will not oppose something just because Obama does it. That is also a sign of closed-mindedness that is unhealthy in life, not to mention a republic.
To be honest, I kinda feel for Obama at times. While I disagree with 90% of his policy, the dude can’t swat a fly at a speech or try to encourage students in education without someone making more out of it than it is. So this is also a suggestion to my more conservative friends to disagree on issues of substance and be willing to listen and weigh things out before reacting.
And to those of my liberal friends who are willing to engage in real life and realize that politics is largely forgettable in the grand eternal scheme of things: thank you for listening to me express my view at times without questioning my character or intelligence. I hope to continue to make informed decisions of my own and respect the rights of others to do the same.
Peace.
Excellent.