Political Hypocrisy

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

You know what I'm sick of? Hypocrisy in politics. I am sick to death of the hypocrisy in politics that stems from a two party system.

The reason I'm so sick of it is not necessarily because the opposing parties in Washington, D.C. are all big, fat, hypocrites. They are, demonstrably, but what bothers me more is the tendency of our polarized system to turn our citizen in hypocrites.

The majority of Americans who follow and opine on politics apply a double standard all the time. Hell, I've been guilty of it myself. Want some examples? Here you go:

In 2009, Senator Mitch McConnell sent a letter to Senator Harry Reid complaining that Republican leaders in the Senate had not had sufficient time to vet President Obama's Supreme Court nominations. In 2017, the exact same letter was returned to Senator McConnell, with only the names transposed. In both cases, partisan Americans decried the other sides' obstructionist behavior.

In 2009, when the Democratic administration pushed through the Affordable Care Act, Republicans complained - loudly - that they did not have input on the plan (even though it was a Republican plan to begin with). Now, in 2017, the shoe is on the other foot, and the Democrats are very worried and concerned that the Republican administration is about to do the same thing with a variety of legislation.

I could go on for days, but really - you get the idea. Democrats do something, Republicans howl, Republicans do the exact same thing, Democrats howl, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

And I am so, so tired of it. It's wildly, undeniably, horrifyingly hypocritical.

I'm so tired of it I'm considering calling people out on it when I see it, consequences be damned. As in, "Oh, you don't like it when liberals criticize and make rude remarks about President Trump? But it was okay for conservatives to hang President Obama in effigy, make racist remarks about him and his family, and accused him of being a foreign national? Then you, my dear, are a HYPOCRITE."

Or, "Oh, you think it's absolutely terrible that the conservatives are about to push through legislation of their choosing now that they have control of the House, the Senate, and the Oval Office? But it was perfectly okay for liberals to push through left leaning legislation when they had control over the House, the Senate, and the Oval Office? Then you, my friend, are a HYPOCRITE.

I'm not implying here that there are not substantial differences between the the liberal agenda and the conservative agenda. There are, big ones, and I know where I stand in relationship to those agendas. I'm going to continue to contact my Senators and Representatives whenever I see Congress about to pass legislation with which I disagree. I'm going to continue to support organizations that advocate for the things that are important to me. I'm going to continue to spread awareness and complain when the White House signs an executive order I don't agree with, or does something bone-headed that damages my country's reputation, or tears down peaceful diplomatic relationships with other countries for no discernible reason. It's my duty as an American. Just as it's the duty of every American. 

But I'm going to stop accusing conservatives of hypocrisy while giving liberals a hall pass on the same behavior. If you're spreading double-standards about politics, you're wrong. You're just wrong, whichever way your double-standard goes, and I'm going to make every effort to point it out, publicly, whenever I see it, on both sides of the aisle. Because we could all use a little more accountability in our public behavior. 

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