cab67
cab67's Journalfriendships and politics
I didn't lose many friendships after the 2016 election. My circle of friends doesn't include many conservatives, and the conservatives I count as friends are generally of the more rational variety who have no use for Trump.
But I seem to be losing friendships over this year's primary.
Many of my friends like and support Bernie Sanders. That's not usually a problem, but a handful have gone from Sanders supporter to Sanders cult follower. They've accused me on Facebook of blindness and stupidity for not seeing things exactly as they see them, of being a DNC operative, and of not being a True Progressive.
I'm very progressive. But I'm also a realist.
When, during an argument, I pointed out that equating Biden with Trump is like saying that because Mars and Pluto are both further from the sun than you, they're in the same orbit. The person I was arguing with said a comparison between Hitler and Francisco Franco would be more accurate. I stopped the argument at that point; there's no point holding a discussion with such a person.
I've been voting in presidential elections since 1988. I've never encountered anything like this. The whole "my candidate or no candidate" attitude strikes me as unhealthy.
Anyone else experiencing this?
Added on edit - this isn't happening to me very often, but that it's happening at all is disturbing enough.
something I just posted on Facebook
I am writing to those of you who believe Joe Biden to be some sort of “corporate Democrat” beholden to special interests – someone who isn’t interested in common folk, and someone who would govern far too close to the center.
Two words – “Supreme” and “Court” – should be enough to get you to the polls to vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is. Nevertheless, I’ve encountered people who seem to think there’s not much difference between Biden and Trump. Some declare that they could never vote for Biden and would sit out the election or vote for a third-party candidate (which is the same thing as sitting out the election). I am writing to you in particular.
Yes, it’s your right to sit out an election. It’s also your right to go from store to store and buy every available bottle of hand sanitizer. Both are extremely selfish. You're basically saying that your feelings matter more than the common good.
Biden is in no way my ideal candidate. He’s way too centrist and way too old. I haven’t forgotten Anita Hill, nor have I forgotten his vote for the Iraq War. But the idea that he’s at all as bad as Trump is laughable. It should be dismissed as irrational by everyone living in the real world. Jupiter and Pluto are both further away from the sun than you, but that doesn't mean they're in the same orbit.
Consider two basic facts. First – many of the more contentious recent Supreme Court decisions have been 5-4. This includes Citizens United and the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. Have you noticed that the four reasonable votes came from justices nominated by “corporate Democrats”? And second – as many as three justices may retire during the next administration.
I haven't forgotten Anita Hill, but I haven't forgotten Ruth Bader Ginsburg, either. Do you want Biden to replace RBG, or Trump?
I’ve heard some of you claim that “corporate bought candidates” won’t act on climate change or the environment. Unlike other politicians I can name, Biden doesn’t think climate change is a hoax. Obama, who arguably governed like a 1950's-era progressive Republican, signed us into the Paris agreement. Like Obama's, Biden's EPA and Department of the Interior wouldn't be staffed by pseudoscientists interested in selling National Parks to mining companies. (Obama increased the amount of National Park and Monument land; Trump has reduced it.)
I agree that we need Medicare for All, and I would rather vote for someone who will support it, but Biden at least wouldn't try to dismantle whatever public health care we have in the US. Nor would he put unqualified people like Betsy DeVos in cabinet-level positions.
I don't care how high your ideals are. Getting Trump out of the White House should be everyone's top priority, and deciding not to vote because neither candidate suits you is selfish.
And this goes for me as much as it goes for you. I’m not a fan of Bernie Sanders, but if he’s the nominee, I will enthusiastically vote for him.
friendships and politics
I didn't lose many friendships after the 2016 election. My circle of friends doesn't include many conservatives, and the conservatives I count as friends are generally of the more rational variety who have no use for Trump.
But I seem to be losing friendships over this year's primary.
Many of my friends like and support Bernie Sanders. That's not usually a problem, but a handful have gone from Sanders supporter to Sanders cult follower. They've accused me on Facebook of blindness and stupidity for not seeing things exactly as they see them, of being a DNC operative, and of not being a True Progressive.
I'm very progressive. But I'm also a realist.
When, during an argument, I pointed out that equating Biden with Trump is like saying that because Mars and Pluto are both further from the sun than you, they're in the same orbit. The person I was arguing with said a comparison between Hitler and Francisco Franco would be more accurate. I stopped the argument at that point; there's no point holding a discussion with such a person.
I've been voting in presidential elections since 1988. I've never encountered anything like this. The whole "my candidate or no candidate" attitude strikes me as unhealthy.
Anyone else experiencing this?
Profile Information
Member since: Wed Jul 24, 2013, 01:10 PMNumber of posts: 2,992
