Post-Election Thoughts
Yesterday I worked at an election voting place, and I was pleased to see so many people turn out to vote. We had long lines most of the day, and some crabby people (according to others--I did not witness any bad behavior). The turn out was close to 50% of our precinct's registered voters, and that is the highest turnout I have seen since I started working elections about four years ago.
I was mostly pleased with the election results, but I have been horrified at the campaigns. The comments, by those in line to cast their votes, were uniformly in agreement that the campaign was monstrous, insulting, and intrusive. Campaign spending was a shameful use of money that could have and should have been spent on something worthwhile like hurricane relief. The calls to our homes were maddening. The so-called arguments were too often mere lies. The entire process was spoiled by negativity and mud slinging.
Well, as those of us who have been alive for a long time can attest, these complaints are not new nor valid only for this election. They have been our complaints in pretty much all the elections we have witnessed. They were complaints our fathers and grandfathers made about elections excepting advances in technology that have allowed increasing intrusiveness.
With all the negativity floating around and seeing that the election has made no real difference in the balance of power in Washington D.C., I have been wondering how we are going to work on all our troubles as a nation when each party essentially denies any movement forward by the other party.
For several weeks, now, I have been pondering the idea of images--my images of what Republicans are and the images Republications have of Democrats. The hate that appears to be building walls of unprecedented height and thickness between people of our major political parties appears to me to be stronger than ever before. What happened to the ideas of not being judgmental and of "walking a mile in their shoes" before condemning people?
So, today, in a reflective mood and resting my poor body after the punishing day I put it through yesterday, I create the following image to--I hope fairly--reveal the idiocy of all this hate. We have to somehow find ways to get along.
I was mostly pleased with the election results, but I have been horrified at the campaigns. The comments, by those in line to cast their votes, were uniformly in agreement that the campaign was monstrous, insulting, and intrusive. Campaign spending was a shameful use of money that could have and should have been spent on something worthwhile like hurricane relief. The calls to our homes were maddening. The so-called arguments were too often mere lies. The entire process was spoiled by negativity and mud slinging.
Well, as those of us who have been alive for a long time can attest, these complaints are not new nor valid only for this election. They have been our complaints in pretty much all the elections we have witnessed. They were complaints our fathers and grandfathers made about elections excepting advances in technology that have allowed increasing intrusiveness.
With all the negativity floating around and seeing that the election has made no real difference in the balance of power in Washington D.C., I have been wondering how we are going to work on all our troubles as a nation when each party essentially denies any movement forward by the other party.
For several weeks, now, I have been pondering the idea of images--my images of what Republicans are and the images Republications have of Democrats. The hate that appears to be building walls of unprecedented height and thickness between people of our major political parties appears to me to be stronger than ever before. What happened to the ideas of not being judgmental and of "walking a mile in their shoes" before condemning people?
So, today, in a reflective mood and resting my poor body after the punishing day I put it through yesterday, I create the following image to--I hope fairly--reveal the idiocy of all this hate. We have to somehow find ways to get along.
What Republicans Think of Democrats They are non-Christian, welfare-dependent, lazy, not-real-Americans (read: mostly poor and non-white), scum who have hijacked this country and driven it into crushing debt and jeopardized our standing as the most powerful leader of the free world and the economic example for all. They are willing to pervert the U.S. Constitution to reward sinful behavior (gays and lesbians, illegal aliens, and welfare cheaters) in order to actively perpetuate the state of dependency of their members. They are willing to throw our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren into slavery to the Chinese with their reckless spending. | What Democrats Think of Republicans They are crazy, incredibly stupid (read as idiots who believe religious myths instead of scientific facts and reality), white-centered, male-centered, rich-and-greedy, racist bullies who claim to be patriotic Americans while selling out the country to line their pockets and power-needs. They are willing to pervert the U.S. Constitution to help them grab more power in order to turn us into a Nazi-type nation where the wealthy few rule and the rest of us are practically slaves. They have driven out of their own party all the reasonable Republicans who understand the center positions and can be bi-partisan. |
What Republicans Think of Republicans We are Christians who believe that murdering unborn children and that suicide disguised as right-to-die are terribly wrong, immoral, and sinful. We believe that hard work results in economic sufficiency, and that is as it should be. We think that taxes wrongly fund unnecessary government intrusion into our lives and that we do not need the federal government to do much more than provide national defense. We do not want so many rules, regulations, and taxes interfering with our honest efforts to make a living and to produce our nation's food and goods. We trust capitalism to return our country's economic situation around. Ours is the honorable, honest, God-fearing freedom path to right thinking and positive actions. | What Democrats Think of Democrats We are open-minded people who value diversity. We believe in equal rights for all. These rights include the right to marry, the right to work and live where one chooses, the right to make our own medial decisions (including abortion and the right-to-die), and the right to be as fully educated as we can be. We believe that we can, as a nation, provide appropriate and necessary health care and educational opportunities for all of our citizens. We exercise reasonable trust in scientific evidence, and we value critical thinking and honest questioning. We especially believe in our rights to be free from religious intimidation and instruction. The separation of church and state must remain absolute. We believe in the value of rules and regulations for our health and safety and the public good. We believe in fairness for all and compassion for those who need a helping hand. |
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