|
Edited on Sat Sep-11-04 03:55 PM by Selwynn
Life long republicans refusing to vote for Bush. I'm talking about old school folks who for whatever reason have a long standing relationship with the traditional republican ideas (I say ideas because I don't remember them ever actually putting ideas like smaller government, state control or fiscal responsibility into practice). For some people it could be because they really do believe that smaller government would be better, and states should have more control, and taxes should be lower, and more services should be privatized, and rights to guns should not be regulated for free and innocent citizens.
These people don't hate America, or people who disagree with them, or poor people, or minorities - they simply have a certain philosophy about what works best to take care of the nation. I know a lot of people like this whether they are misguided or not. The reason I say I really respect people like this who refuse to vote for Bush is because it shows me that even people who I might disagree with philosophically are capable of rational thought. Republicans who stand up and say, "no sir! this is NOT what I believe in and I refuse to let my party be taken over by neo-conservatives any more!" make me so proud. I know first hand its very hard to go against your tradition, your party or your friends to stand up for what's right. It's especially hard if you feel that the old classical tennants of conservatism are still what you believe are best, and you watch as modern neo-cons and hate-mongers distort that into tyranny.
I'm so proud of my mom - she has been a republican her whole life. But she has always been willing to listen, and been curious and honestly interested in truth. So as I've grown up and gotten more professionally involved in the politics and international relations, she's started listening to me. Recently she told me she could not in good conscience vote for Bush this year, after voting for him in 2000. She told me that her whole life she had just been raised to think that being Republican was the same thing as being a good person, and it wasn't until she started listening to me that she realized that wasn't true. So cool.
My Dad is different. He is probably going to vote for Bush. I don't know how to say this the right way, because I love my Dad, and in life he is one of the most tender, sweetest men I know. But, he's had a stroke, and I dunno... I find that it seems like a lot of times things don't make sense to him, and he gets confused sometimes. He's not an invalid, I fact my dad teaches me things every time I talk to him -- but still, sometimes I think its just not possible for him to really grasp the full political picture.
The only real reason I mention my Dad in this is because a lot of you people are always talking in such all or nothing terms about people who vote republican, as though all republicans are hate-mongering neo-conservative evil people who should be hated. But that's not my Dad. My Dad is just too old and too simple (I hate saying that word, because if you know my father, he is an amazing man) to understand anything more complicated than what he sees on TV and what he's thought all his life.
But people like my mom, and people who I talk to here in Boise who say, "you know, I do believe in conservative politics, limited spending, smaller government, greater state control, more privatized services, a more free market -- but my own party and this administration doesn't even believe in those values. They believe in warfare, poor exploitation, fear-mongering, the destruction of our freedoms, huge government, massive debt, huge endless spending, as well as being dishonest and betraying the trust of the public. I will not support that. I want my party back.
Every time I see a "Republicans for Kerry 04" sticker I think to myself, "there goes one of the biggest heroes of this election year." Even though I don't share the same political as even traditional republicans, I greatly respect this particular minority, courageous enough to say, "not in the name of my party, you don't!" Of course, I'm not like some here, I don't want a country where everyone sees every issue exactly like I do. I don't want a country where there are no conservatives. What I want is a country where there a real conservatives who believe in honest civil public debate and respect diversity of thought - as opposed to neoconservative fascists who want to destroy everyone who does not see it exactly their way. I want a country where good honest more conservative minded folks and good honest more liberally minded folks can sit down together and passionately listen to each other talk about how to make things better.
I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity myself - a friend of mine is a conservative non-bush supporter. He and I disagree on most issues, but he has an IQ in the genius range, and he loves to listen to other honest, sincere people like me talk about what we think. He and I have talked for hours debating the issues, and we've gone away feeling better for it. Sometimes I've changed his mind, too. See - he has the capacity to change his mind, something neo-conservatives have beaten out of themselves. And of course as I mentioned, I've talked a lot with my mom, and she's changed quite a bit in her thinking because of that. In fact, more of my friends are people who disagree with me politically but who respect me and are willing to sit down together and really share perspectives and concerns and listen to each other. I'm telling you - its a great experience. We somehow need to return that kind of statesmanship and dignity to Washington.
But we're not going to do that by adopting the same attitudes of divisiveness and hatred that have so poisoned our nation for too long. That doesn't mean don't fight. That doesn't mean don't pointedly tell the honest truth. It does however mean not overlooking people like my mom, my friend, or even my dad who desire a more civil society and a political landscape in which statesmanship was restored, and it was ok for different people to have different honest opinions about how to do things. I don't want to defeat Bush just to "win." I want to be about something better, and create change in the direction of our country toward a better kind of society. Republicans for Kerry give me hope, because it shows me that change is possible.
Sel
PS - as of this mail my mom left the republican party and is registered as an "independent." She told me she never even gave her politics a second thought until I started talking to her. How cool is that? :D See, real ordinary people who honestly and patiently speak the truth to those willing to listen apparently can make a difference!
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
