in my mind, it's what is wrong with us. we spend so much time hating the other side, deciding they are so different from us, that some people resort to disgusting behavior. thus, pushing the moderate folks further away from the center.
we have common ground. there is gray area. we can come together around difficult issues. there is definitely room for disagreement, and pushing back, and discussion. but when it's taken too far, we accomplish nothing.
"here, here". or is it "hear, hear". regardless, "there" - the point of this pots, tony - is where we need to be.
ReplyDeleteI had a big response, so I posted it "here."
ReplyDeleteCheck it out.
The sad truth...there isn't an easy out here. No matter who is elected, the division seems deeper, angrier, and less civil than four or eight years ago. Most bothersome: the "outrageous" cuts the clutter more than ever. An Ohio moron hangs Obama in effigy, and it's internet news...a CA idiot lynches Palin as "fair game" in front of his house...and it's noteworthy. $700b slides under the table in DC, and noone cares to understand why, but we spend our waking hrs pondering this crap...just sick. I feel like a missing verse from "Synchronicity II" somehow.
ReplyDeleteI think Obama will win...I just don't envy the task he has ahead of him - how will he (or anyone) turn this race into something positive for the next four years? four months? or just a few minutes?
More locally, a week from now, Tony, where will you take this blog? You have a following...very curious where we go from here?
bri...
ReplyDeletei'm hopeful.
i'm hopeful that if obama wins, he will actually govern in a way consistent with his rhetoric. it's in "the audacity of hope". it's in his best speeches. i think it's in the man.
i honestly don't see mccain doing governing from the center. his campaign has been more divisive, obama's more inclusive. many of mccain's negative ads attack obama's character, patriotism. obama's attack mccain's policy. the republican rhetoric, for me, has always been more about us vs. them.
if obama does reach out, and does it consistently, perhaps it can start to heal some of the divide. perhaps.
like i said...hopeful.
the blog? it didn't start out as a political blog, it's just what's been on my mind these last twelve months. as with most things in my life, it will undoubtedly ebb and flow. here's hoping there will be some new adventure to write about soon.
always thankful that folks read it at all.
Tony,
ReplyDeleteWell said. Fundamentally, I agree with your posts here, and I really found BT's comments to be intriguing as well.
This has, on multiple levels, been the most engaging and probably important election of our lifetimes, so it's not surprising that our world, and your blog, have become part of it. On a personal note, I also found your posts to elevate the key issues of the campaign, so thanks. I'm sure others feel the same way.
I'd encourage you to stay on point here. This has become a mostly political blog, and you have become a political bloggist, or whatever they call it (lucky you!). There's work to be done here. Obama is inclusive, but he's also just a guy. He'll need help, including yours, mine and a whole lot of others. We're entering the interesting times that we may live in (to abuse a Chinese proverb). While pictures of Korean donuts are great, this new world is probably the biggest adventure we have.
Regards,
b