the dark side of john mccain (a truly loathsome human being)

[femmedem]

142. Thank you, EffieBlack.

It seems that the urge to divide people into us and them, and to despise them runs deep and wide.

We see it here not only when we're talking about McCain, but when we applaud people who cut off contact with family members because they voted for Trump. When we heap scorn on people because they don't cut off contact with family members who voted for Trump. When we eviscerate Democratic candidates and their supporters during primary season who are running against our preferred candidate, and continue to do so long after primary season is over.

We lay the seeds for it with belittling and dehumanizing nicknames for everyone with an R next to their names. When we say that a third of the electorate is not worth any attempt to communicate with them, not because it isn't as strategically wise as focusing on increasing turnout among our solid base, but because those people are so deplorable that we would literally rather not have their votes.

It seems we cannot help ourselves. Yes, Democratic policies are rooted in compassion, but our own tendencies to hate the other should at least give us pause, and some recognition that we are not as different from our political opponents as we think we are.