The Danger of Us Vs. Them Politics In A Modern World
December 7th 2008 17:30
If I believe in something, I will fight for it with all I have. But I do not demand all or nothing. I would rather get something than nothing. Professional liberals want the fiery debate. They glory in defeat. The hardest job for a politician today is to have the courage to be a moderate. It's easy to take an extreme position.
~ Hubert Humphrey
~ Hubert Humphrey
Coming into deciding what I would choose as a point of discussion this week…
Without a doubt, the thing at the forefront of my mind is the dangerous world we continue to sleep walk through in our red, white and blue bubble.
The more I press and analyze the situation on a global scale, I'm also forced to look at our divisions on a national level ultimately going back to my pre 9-11 question of if we were seriously ready for the things that are coming our way.
The realities of our global situation are shredding through the fog in the shadow of American dominance that has allowed us to feel warm and safe in a country that hasn't had to deal with the daily struggles of the global violence that surrounds our nation.
The violence that is bred by power, money, world domination and ignorance has only come to our shores a select few times but has always left a deep scar for us to remember the pain and sorrow that comes when we're caught by surprise.
On a historical level, surprise has only come when we let our internal struggles over shadow the big picture.
When I mention the big picture I'm talking about when radical groups based around religion, fundamental movements or nationalism are able to quietly lay the seeds of World War III without our society even batting an eye.
Politicians will always rise and fall but along the way a diamond in the rough will appear to inspire and motivate the masses. There is no argument in this general statement but our problems come when our inspiration becomes an aspect of fanaticism on an "us versus them" battleground.
The measure of "us vs. them" is a healthy part of American politics as it allows people who would otherwise become crossed eyed with the nuances in the American law process to otherwise become enamored with a political system that resembles their personal values.
The point where our eyes became clouded into this haze was when groups sought to draw the line in the sand and chose to not only fight for or against the issue pertaining to the size of government but to also struck out to create a system of politics that tugs on our heart strings of religion, sex, race and fear.
No matter the party or the politician that is "new" or a "fresh face" these are the things that drive our system of politics and it will never change. The ultimate issue will never be about a "radical" taking office that can single handedly take us into unauthorized wars, make us a communist nation or can single handedly change the make up of the Supreme Court but rather, it is about whether the people we elect to represent us will act on the interests of the people and not their own or their parties.
The more I hammer home this thinking and see the actuality of our government and media acting in a way to gloom and doom us about the politicians who take and lose power, the more fearful I am about how we're ever going to come together as a united nation when tragedy comes back to our shores.
When it comes down to brass tax it honestly doesn't matter who was the blame or whether it's a Democrat or Republican who builds the team to fix the deep and dark mess our nation is in now.
What we need to do is not rest on our laurels because of a change in government and just hope that the new administration will automatically "fix the problem" because after looking at 232 years of political history it is an impossibility for any one administration or a simple change of political party power to be the solution for the point our country is at right now.
I'm not asking anyone to take down their banners of party affiliation, religious issues, racial equality, and equal rights in sexuality or gender. To ask this would be a foolish measure and un-American. What we need to do is find a common ground in discussion instead of always looking for a fight.
At this point in our countries fractured state my worst fear is for something to happen on our shores or globally and for the sea of fingers to point at the Oval Office in the aspect of turning tragedy into a political issue. These are the things we did not need on September 11th and it is definitely not on the list of things we need at any point where our nation needs to come together.
Mistakes will always be made by our nation internationally and it comes with the territory of being the global watch dog for freedom and equal rights. This is the badge we wear proudly as our goal has always been to help those in need. In tough economic times the world becomes and even darker place and the number of those in need will grow exponentially as well as those who are bent on world destruction for their own beliefs or causes.
No matter how you choose to slice the pie…
Dark times are ahead and as much as I hear the call of migration to Canada from both sides whenever their party loses, our census numbers continue to remain strong after election cycles.
What we need to do is carry that same strength to promote the conversation and each other rather than needlessly poking sticks at the things that divide us in an effort to rile the snakes of division and strife….
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