(no subject)
Aug. 9th, 2006 12:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liptonrm_backupI'm bored out of my skull so I'm going to talk politics. Just a little bit, I promise.
The U.S. primaries were yesterday and there was some good news (mostly of the "thank goodness![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
baylorsr can finally catch a breather" variety). The Big Lug came up to vote and we ended up talking a little politics which is always interesting. I'm very diplomatic when discussing inflammatory subjects, especially with my family, so we didn't get into a row and start throwing chicken tenders at each other, which would've been amusing but less-effective. Hee, now I'm stuck thinking about us throwing food at each other and it's turning itself into some sort of cute SPN fic in my head. I should remember that.
Anyway, my brother talked about the Lieberman race in Connecticut and he thought it was particularly heinous of all of the powerful Democrats, like Rodham-Clinton and Gore, to refuse support to the Lieberman campaign. Disloyal and all that. It seemed that my little brother was rather fond of Lieberman, apparently Joe is a 'friend of Sean Hannity' and that's a bit of all right in my brother's book.
Last night, Lieberman lost his primary and is now running as an Independent.
We also talked about Joe Schwarz, a MI Representative and a Republican who was also facing a challenge in the primary yesterday. I was the one who was rather fond of Schwarz because he's a moderate conservative who supports many of the same issues I do. His opponent was a hardline conservative, a pro-NRA anti-gay marriage kind of candidate.
Last night, Schwarz lost his primary and now the hardliner will most likely take his Congress seat in the fall.
This only brings home to me, once again, how polarized politics is at the moment. There isn't any room for moderates, for compromisers. My brother mentioned, with a sneer in his voice, the polarization of the Democratic party and how the couldn't support a man who'd voted for the war and I didn't bring up the fact that the Republicans started it. Actually, that's simplistic but in my imperfact and biased observation the last six years of Republican control have dramatically polarized the nation. I have a feeling that this polarization will only worsen in November's elections. From a purely academic standpoint I am fascinated to see what will happen if this worsens, if the moderates are weeded out and hardliners are brought in to replace them. This nation needs a leader, or leaders, who can step up and ease the posturing, who can unify rather then divide. I don't believe our president is a man who can, or would, do that.
And isn't it interesting that his supporters, like my brother, don't want him to even try.
I think I've reached the point where I'm going to look at all of this from an academic distance purely as a defense mechanism. Sheesh, if I contemplate the possible outcomes of this scenario I'll never get out of bed ever again.
The U.S. primaries were yesterday and there was some good news (mostly of the "thank goodness
baylorsr can finally catch a breather" variety). The Big Lug came up to vote and we ended up talking a little politics which is always interesting. I'm very diplomatic when discussing inflammatory subjects, especially with my family, so we didn't get into a row and start throwing chicken tenders at each other, which would've been amusing but less-effective. Hee, now I'm stuck thinking about us throwing food at each other and it's turning itself into some sort of cute SPN fic in my head. I should remember that.Anyway, my brother talked about the Lieberman race in Connecticut and he thought it was particularly heinous of all of the powerful Democrats, like Rodham-Clinton and Gore, to refuse support to the Lieberman campaign. Disloyal and all that. It seemed that my little brother was rather fond of Lieberman, apparently Joe is a 'friend of Sean Hannity' and that's a bit of all right in my brother's book.
Last night, Lieberman lost his primary and is now running as an Independent.
We also talked about Joe Schwarz, a MI Representative and a Republican who was also facing a challenge in the primary yesterday. I was the one who was rather fond of Schwarz because he's a moderate conservative who supports many of the same issues I do. His opponent was a hardline conservative, a pro-NRA anti-gay marriage kind of candidate.
Last night, Schwarz lost his primary and now the hardliner will most likely take his Congress seat in the fall.
This only brings home to me, once again, how polarized politics is at the moment. There isn't any room for moderates, for compromisers. My brother mentioned, with a sneer in his voice, the polarization of the Democratic party and how the couldn't support a man who'd voted for the war and I didn't bring up the fact that the Republicans started it. Actually, that's simplistic but in my imperfact and biased observation the last six years of Republican control have dramatically polarized the nation. I have a feeling that this polarization will only worsen in November's elections. From a purely academic standpoint I am fascinated to see what will happen if this worsens, if the moderates are weeded out and hardliners are brought in to replace them. This nation needs a leader, or leaders, who can step up and ease the posturing, who can unify rather then divide. I don't believe our president is a man who can, or would, do that.
And isn't it interesting that his supporters, like my brother, don't want him to even try.
I think I've reached the point where I'm going to look at all of this from an academic distance purely as a defense mechanism. Sheesh, if I contemplate the possible outcomes of this scenario I'll never get out of bed ever again.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-09 07:29 pm (UTC)However, as the "center" keeps getting defnied ever right-ward by the MSM and the political talking heads, it seems that I've not only been defined further left-ward, my political beliefs have likewise shifted leftward. I'm also a hell of a lot more outspoken poltically than I was 6 years ago. Before, I'd avoid discussing politics unless it was with people I knew really well. Now...*shrug* ...now I don't care.
It's an interesting phenominon that I've seen a lot. It's like the voters in Connecticut. The nation's current circumstances have pushed people to such an extent that they feel they have to take sides because staying silent is simply no longer an option.
Besides, I know I wonder if 'staying silent' and 'behaving' and trying to 'show respect for other people's opinions' in the face of the eliminatist rhetoric of right-wing talk radio for the past 20 years has contributed to the current screaming match in this country. Maybe if people spoke up back when Rush was a low-powered AM phenominon, we might've been able to find the middle ground before now.
It's an interesting problem, taht's for sure. I'd certainly love to find a leader who'd work to get everyone to talk to each other, but given some of the bile I've seen get poured on CT today because of the Lamont win, I wonder if the rightwing of the Republican Party is even willing to allow dialogue to go in that direction.
I mean, when you reach the point where Goldwater is looking like a progressive compared to his current party leadership...well...you kind of have to wonder.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-09 11:08 pm (UTC)More interesting, as in scary, is that this seems to be the lesson also being adopted on the left. One should expect such exclusionary tactics from the far right; but from the left? The happy huggy left? Scary. Do not compromise. Do not bother with the third of the country you disagree with or even the third in the middle. Just look to your own base and damn the rest of them.
It's ideological purity, a form of fanaticism or extremism. It's saying "I cannot live with people who disagree with me." Which is OK if you're in preschool.