If we do not improve—immensely, immediately—public education, American students, and particularly minority students, can expect a much lower quality of life…for their entire lives. So that matters.
_____
The one question I would like to ask all political conservatives is this:
Do you think God is a Republican?
And the one question I would like to ask all political liberals is this:
Does every person identifying as Republican immediately make said person the incarnation of human stupidity and evil?
If you have talked to ardent Donald Trump supporters, you have heard “yes” or something like it in response to the first question.
As if an omnipotent, timeless being beyond our capacity to understand could be boxed into a 21st century American political party.
If you checked liberal media outlets following CNN’s Republican debate, you have witnessed the entire event dismissed as “crazy,” “stupid,” and “insane.”
As if eleven candidates with decades of political and business experience, who include a neurosurgeon, a Supreme Court law clerk, and several Ivy League graduates, who have spent years considering the issues covered in the debate, are so easily dismissed by the word “moron.”
Perhaps it is time to forego the moniker of Democrat or Republican. In this country, we are now all Partisans.
In a recent Goodmen Project Conference Call, one contributor astutely pointed out that when we see these intense dichotomies – these battles between two furious sides – someone is benefitting. Someone, somewhere is thriving on all this outrage. I agree.
So two more questions for your consideration:
Could it be that radio talk show hosts make their paychecks off convincing concerned listeners that Democrats are all really Communists?
Could it be that hyper-liberal news outlets make their money convincing women that Republicans are secretly scheming to instill kitchen appliances with ankle chains?
I ask these questions because I am tired of finding myself in arguments with self-professed Republicans, and I am tired of finding myself in arguments with self-identified Democrats. I’m tired of hearing that all Democrats want to turn America into Cuba, and I’m tired of hearing that all Republicans want to deploy nuclear missiles. Like, yesterday. Against everyone.
These are ludicrous statements that are becoming so commonplace as to render their believers fully invested in the “obvious” truth behind them.
And I ask because the issues confronting us are important. Globe-changing, really.
If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, the entire planet’s political stability will be disrupted, if not destroyed. So that matters.
If we do not recognize that black lives are American lives, that they are human lives, then we have not progressed at all. We will prove ourselves either apathetic or bigoted, and – far more tragically – we will never get those lives back. So that matters.
If we do not improve – immensely, immediately – public education, American students, and particularly minority students, can expect a much lower quality of life…for their entire lives. So that matters.
If baby parts are really being sold for profit, that is a gut-wrenching stain on our moral character. So that matters.
If the oceans are polluted, and toxins corrupt our land and waterways, and reckless environmental policies fundamentally alter earth’s ecosystem, then humankind may not be around in a few centuries. So that matters.
If the war in Syria is not soon ended, more civilians will die, and more refugees and migrants will flee to Europe, many dying along the way. So that matters.
It is no longer enough to hide behind our political party, capital D or capital R, and only throw up arms in fury over “our” issues.
So if you define yourself as a “one-issue,” dedicated Partisan voter, please stop. Feel free to continue advocating for that issue, whether it is women’s rights or the 2nd Amendment, but recognize that our elected officials impact everyone.
And not just American citizens. The men and women we elect impact the world’s citizens. So if you’ve had it with this country, then at least consider the Syrian children who will be at the mercy of our next leaders’ decisions.
Radical enough for you? Welcome to political Centrism.
_____
Photo credit: Getty Images