Finding a close friend a Republican is like finding they're insane

[mreilly]

The wife and I had a couple over the other night - great friends, whose kids are also good friends with our kids. During campfire conversation in the backyard my wife mentioned I usually vote Democrat (I stated I am technically a left-leaning independent- I left the Democratic Party in 2004 when it became clear the party wouldn't stand up for itself, but that's a story for another occasion. I'm a liberal, pure and simple). The wife visiting us (Beth) revealed herself a loyal Republican, commenting "Democrats are crazy!" but not in a confrontational manner.

I laughed it off, choosing not to engage a good friend (I can honestly say I love these two friends of ours) but it was a difficult blow - not that I didn't justify my views, but finding out that apparently so many of the things we all see eye to eye on - good schools for the kids, a nice community to live in, support for the town and the environment - were being approached from the right on her part, as opposed to the left on mine. Perhaps it's a sign of common ground, but I really cannot believe a thinking person can support the Republicans these days. We had eight years of their policies under Bush and all the problems he caused can't possibly be laid at the door of the Democrats, or chance, or propaganda. Since this is a friend, I let it go (I don't do discussions of this nature very well; the risk of it turning ugly would be too high since I'm stubborn and usually believe the facts vindicate me). However, I wanted to find a polite way to say:

"Look, I may be a liberal and you may find Democrats crazy - which means that you really find liberals crazy since according to the Republicans all Democrats are liberals which is really laughable, but here's what I believe:

-It's up all of us to contribute to a good society, and I believe government can actually play a positive role and paying taxes is a civic obligation we must all shoulder. Sure, we can split off into 300 million separate ways and reduce ourselves to an "every man for himself" mentality, but that doesn't serve a common good for us or future generations. Progress means pulling together, not enacting a caste system where the downtrodden are exploited by those in power.

-I want good jobs for people, an educated workforce, an end to greedy rich corporations sending work overseas so they can fire American workers, and a focus on building for the future, meaning investing in schools.

-I care about the planet we live on and DON'T think that companies should be allowed to rape and pillage it for their own profits, or appoint their friends as "regulators." I DO think BP should be made to fully clean up the mess they made and reimburse the people whose lives and livelihoods they destroyed - and if it puts BP out of business eventually, well boo fucking hoo. Maybe the next oil company that thinks "Naah, we don't need to enact those safety regulations; nothing bad's going to happen" might think twice.

-I believe the evidence that global warming is real - we can see it right here in Massachusetts with our warm winters and boiling hot summers - and think the people disputing it are paid shills who have an agenda. Why is it unreasonable to think that wealthy companies WOULDN'T obfuscate and distort the facts to mislead people and protect their profits?

-If I lose my job, I'd like to be reassured that unemployment benefits are available for me - just the same as I want them available for everyone else. I'm happy to contribute my taxes to help people keep their homes now and put food on their table, since they'd do the same for me. I DON'T approve of vilifying or ridiculous the unemployed as "lazy" or "unwilling to find work" - that's crap, plain and simple.

-I believe social security should be untouched by the private sector, and supported to guarantee money for the elderly when they need it.

-I believe having 42+ million uninsured people is a travesty and health care coverage for all is not only humane but good policy in the long run.

-I DON'T believe the free market is the answer for everything, since we saw the excesses of the free market, the economic crises that developed and bailouts that resulted - but no real lessons learned or policy changes. The people running around yammering about the wonders of the free market wisely shut their mouths for a few weeks or months, but are right back to their same old tricks, assuming the public is too stupid to remember history. I'm not.

-I DON'T believe illegal immigrants are stealing our jobs and DO think these are people trying to survive and provide a life for their kids, the same as the rest of us. The solution may not be to throw open the borders and let millions immigrate (the national infrastructure may not be able to handle the influx) but I DO think a more sane policy has to be worked out than just throwing up walls and patrolling the Texas/Arizona/New Mexico/California border.

-If your "Democrats are crazy" remark is related to the recent fuss over a mosque at Ground Zero, no - I DON'T think there should be a mosque there, not because I have any preference for Christianity over Islam but because it's too controversial a wedge issue and good intentions here will cause bad repercussions.

-That being said, I DON'T think we should let Christians run around claiming theirs is a state religion, or they deserve more deference and respect than anyone else. This country was NOT founded as a Christian nation, and as an agnostic American I have as much right to participate in it as those with religious views. I am not a Christian, and I refuse to be categorized as a second class citizen as a result. I also do not want anyone else who is not a Christian to undergo the same fate. I believe in FAIRNESS FOR ALL, and if this country had been founded by agnostics would still feel the same way in favor of NOT letting Christians be seen as unworthy participants in society.

-I DON'T think we should meddle overseas with other countries that are sitting on rich natural resources (e.g. oil) in the name of a bunch of juvenile superhero crap spoon-fed to the masses like "protecting democracy" when we never seem to find the time to step in elsewhere in troubled poor nations where democracy is actually suffering.

-I DO think criminals who commit crimes should be locked up, but I also think that the government and society can play a role in troubled communities where crime is an issue and work with the populace to reduce the factors that produce crime, in hopes of giving people a better shot at life. NO, this doesn't mean HANDING OUT MONEY, but rather providing education, day care services, job training, and something more positive than "Sell drugs, join the army, go to jail, or be homeless."

-I DO believe in hard work and promoting self-sacrifice. If we're going to fight two wars it's irresponsible and childish to hand the rich tax cuts and let the government deficit balloon upwards. I was ALWAYS concerned about government spending - not just the moment a black man walked into the White House. Unlike the Republicans who think spending money on American people is a problem (when we should be spending it on bombs, apparently, in their minds) I see it as something that can benefit all.

-I DO think we should let gays marry, and mind our own business. This country has built a name for itself as a place where freedom can flourish and people can determine the course of their own lives without persecution or harassment. What's more American than that?

-I DO like guns, and think they should be legal with certain limitations - felons, the insane, and the uninvestigated (e.g. background checks should be mandatory) should not own these weapons. No interest on my part in "rounding up everyone's guns." That being said, I DO think it's ridiculous to make such a stink about wanting to pack guns everywhere; bring them into churches and to town meetings; to run around after a public shooting (which is getting more and more common these days, sadly) breathlessly screaming "It won't do any good to limit gun ownership, you know! Guns don't kill people, you know - people do! If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns, you know! The Second Amendment guarantees us the right to have as many guns as we want, anywhere, anytime, you know!" Yeah - WE GET THE POINT. YOU LOVE GUNS. The rest of us probably rank them on a priority scale somewhere around 24-27, after food, water, shelter, clothing, safety of loved ones, education, etc. Personally, guns rank between "fresh batteries for the remote" and "full ice cube trays in my second basement fridge" on the priority scale, so the people who seem to love and worship them so very much are a bit... odd.

-I DO think most of the Republican party nowadays is a bunch of bullying, batshit insane assholes who seem to delight in going out of their way to be as nasty and counterproductive as possible. Maybe the GOP was a valid party back in the 60's and 70's, but when Reagan came into power the religious right and the racists pretty much dominated the GOP and haven't let it out of their stranglehold since. Your talk radio propaganda masters - Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, and the rest of the revisionist, hypocritical clones - are the biggest bunch of traitors and thugs I've ever seen, opening advocating secession, the overthrow of the government, and the failure of the policies of the current President, all so that their party can benefit. The Republican motto is now "Make a big mess for the Democrats to clean up, then whine and point fingers at them for not cleaning it up fast enough and insist the voters give us another chance so we can wreak more havoc!"

At any rate, what I'm trying to say is my so-called "crazy" ideas seem more like common sense to me. But I suppose it's all in how you approach it. I've known for a while now that there are only 3 kinds of people who should vote Republican: the rich, the religious and the racist. My friend doesn't fit the first or third category, but she does match the second so perhaps that explains the divide. I hope to be able to bridge the gap further as time goes by.