Civility in Politics

Monday, February 29, 2016

My friends and family are a Motley Crew. Some are so far left in their politics they can rightfully self-identify as Socialists.* Some are so far right they make William F. Buckley look like a Progressive.

Taken as a whole, these are decent people. Each in their own way believe they are patriots, working to build the kind of country they want and believe in. In some cases, we have a fundamental disagreement about the role government should play in our lives. In others, we agree fundamentally, but disagree about which candidate is best suited to execute on that vision. In still others, I consider their political belief system to be fundamentally immoral due to its roots in sexism, bigotry, or homophobia, and in those cases, I sometimes wonder why they're in my Crew to begin with. I'm still working on that one.

And I still struggle with the issue of civility in politics.

How can those I disagree with be so blind, I think, to not see the negative consequences of their political choices? How can they ignore the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, smug in the knowledge that they're not the ones who suffer under an unfair system?

As American politics becomes more and more polarized, it's becoming harder and harder to see the opposition as adversaries worthy of respect, people with whom I may fundamentally disagree, but who love our country as I do, and want what's best for all of us. When their front-runner is a self-proclaimed racist, misogynist, bully, xenophobe - someone who holds not the slightest shred of compassion or empathy for other humans, but only sees others for what they can do for him, it becomes easy to paint them with the same brush.

Intellectually, I know that's unfair and wrong. Not every conservative or Republican supports Trump. I know this, just as I know that they probably have the same questions about my own opinions. But I also know that if Trump gets the nomination (as seems likely at this point unless the Republicans engage in some shenanigans at their Convention, which is also a possibility), there will be a significant portion of the right who will vote for this ass-clown rather than otherwise because they'd rather see the United States burn to the ground or be humiliated on the world stage than to vote for a Democrat. 

I don't get it. If the Democrats nominated somebody like that, I'd hold my nose and vote for John Kasich, or Jon Huntsman, or even Mitt Romney, for Christ's sake, rather than allow someone like Trump access to the Oval Office.

What do you do when someone's political opinions are so repellent that they start to make you wonder about the quality of the person who holds them?

________
*I mean real Socialists, not what conservatives think President Obama is.

3 comments:

Anne C. said...

Amen, sister, to everything including voting for a Republican if the Dems' nominee was a racist, bigoted, asshat without a nodding acquaintance with reality.

I feel so embarrassed for those for whose party has been hijacked. I keep hoping that they will form a new party called "The Sane Conservative Party" or some such name. We NEED a robust and sane opposition to be sure that everyone is represented and that ideas are vetted by intellect from all creeds, liberal and conservative alike.

:(

Janiece said...

Anne, that's what makes my heart hurt, too. I used to BE a Republican - I don't want the opposition to be a bunch of racist asshat whackadoodles. I want a loyal opposition, who when they win, don't make me want to move to Canada. Someone with whom I may not agree, but I can live with. Someone who will balance my own liberal views to keep things for going too far in my direction.

Is that asking so much?

mom in northern said...

Had this very conversation this morning over breakfast with a friend...