Political Views Have Gotten Nasty and Divisive.

Politics has gotten nasty.  It has turned family against family and friend against friend.  It is turning neighbor against neighbor.  Citizens have a certain dividing line and they have staked out their claim.  They feel they are not only righteous, but that the "other side" is not only wrong but that they are either evil or they are feable and a product of too much "kool aid".

I have a reasonably high IQ (155).  I'm not an elitist and often learn from people I read about or that I talk with that I know have an IQ lower than mine.  Having a high IQ doesn't make a person better than anyone else.  It does allow a person to make evaluations and judgements that are clearer (although a person with a lower IQ has no way to know when they're wrong) and of course, the guy that has the higher IQ isn't always right.  Sometimes the other guy is right.

Now that's out of the way, I have noticed that lately I am having to almost laugh in silence, for being told by people that have a lower IQ than me, that I am feable, stupid, uninformed, etc, etc, etc.  I'm told this because I don't agree with them.

I have been told twice this week that I was a "kool aid" drinker and that I didn't have my facts straight.

Consider that I read all the time (not just in election years) and that I read from different sources (not just those that I agree with all the time)(and I don't even have Fox News on my satellite television line-up).  So I get my news from various sources, and the another guy gets his from NPR; and somehow he's right and I'm wrong.

And although I read all the time and am keeping in touch with what's going on even when it's not an election year; whereas another guy has only started reading about these issues in the last six months, he's somehow more informed than me and that I'm a product of the right-wing conspiracy propaganda machine.

Wow!

And for the record, once again, although this guy doesn't know it (yet), he was wrong and I was right.  I looked up our disputed facts from a number of sources.  So it seems that he's been drinking the "kool aid" and didn't even realize it.  He'll never admit it though, and that's my concern.

No matter how this election plays out, citizens are increasingly choosing sides for more than just who they'll vote for or what they're voting for.  Now people are choosing sides; and the other side is the enemy.

When I was growing up, I often heard the phrase, "I might not believe what you believe, but I will fight for your right to say what you believe".  Well, I haven't heard that phrase since the late 1980s.  No one seems to care about freedom of speech and thought, unless of course, it agrees with their own.

My personal opinion is that no matter which party gets in office, the country will survive.  We've survived over 200 years and I think we can survive 4 years of Obama or of McCain.  What I think dooms us more than 4 (or even 8) years of either of these choices, is that political thought has become so divisive and the hatred grows.  It is an uncomfortable feeling to be in a room with people that you like, but that you disagree with politically.

I do have to laugh about being told that I'm a kool aid drinker.  The truth is, I've known I was smart most of my life, but since I wasn't a part of the "in-crowd" or otherwise popular kids, I was told that I wasn't as good as the others.  It has been this way most of my life so I don't really let that bother me.  I was shocked, however, to be attacked personally by someone that is supposed to be a friend of mine.

Since when did a personal view on whether or not we pay this tax rate or that tax rate, suddenly make a friend turn against a friend?  (I'm paying 40% in tax now and don't really want to pay any more; if anything, I should be the one getting angry, not the other guy).

What has made people so divided that they hate their friends and hate their own family?

I know the answer.  I'm just venting out of frustration, because I have no one to talk to about this.  The truth is, people are frustrated (on the left and on the right).  They feel that their government (who is supposed to be working for them) has abandoned them instead; and that when questioned about it, lies to them.  So people are frustrated and they have an emotional attachment to their own political views.  At this point, facts don't mean anything.  A fact that doesn't line up with a person's thinking is going to just anger them and make them hate the other side even more.  And there are loads of opinions published on the internet (in the form of blogs) that will line up exactly with their political viewpoints, and feed them whatever facts they want to hear, even if it's a lie.

So I look at this and feel that this is what is going to be the downfall of the nation.  It wont be which party is in charge or which person is elected President of the United States.  It will be that people are just so frustrated and at the same time, are letting emotion lead them into a hateful stance against anyone that disagrees with them; and of course, the politicians love this because it leaves them with no accountability.  This is better than having a war (an enemy) to fight.  Even if the war ends, there's always going to be a war at home to fight; and that will keep people's eyes off the people they're paying to fix our economy, our government, our roads, our bridges, our schools, etc, etc, etc.

McCain's Nomination Speech

I watched McCain's nomination speech lastnight; all of it.  It was long and mostly boring.  There were a few moments during the speech, but it was mainly preaching to the audience he had there.   He could've easily cut the speech in half and been just as affective.

The first half of the speech seemed mostly the kind of rhetoric that all politicians say.  Vote for me and I'll do these things.  It's what conservatives wanted to hear.  They cheered.  However, they didn't cheer when he pointed the fingers at corruption, and sometimes regarding those in the Republican party.  They didn't really cheer for that.

The audience didn't cheer when he said that they need to put party politics aside and not worry about who gets the credit for fixing something; and just work together and share the credit.

McCain put country above party.  That was good.  There was a clear distinction and a record to support that notion.  There's nothing like that from Obama, and so in that respect, I have more confidence that he will do what he thinks is right for the country, versus trying to do things as a strict conservative Republican would expect them to be done.  He said several times that he wouldn't play party politics and I believe him.

I thought it was good that he said that he'd have democrats and independents in his cabinet.  There weren't many cheers from the audience on that one; and this morning, conservative talk radio were blasting the man for that portion of the speech.

They have a point on one side; Obama would never have a republican on his cabinet.  They aren't likely to reach across the aisle for anything.  Every time I've seen a democrat talk about putting party aside, they always expect the republican to vote with the democrats.

So I see their point.  However, this position of President of the United States isn't about party.  It's about getting things done and about working for the people of the country, not for the party and not for special interests.  So what McCain is saying makes more sense to achieve those goals than in making talk radio conservatives happy.

McCain's speech wasn't nearly as inspiring as Obama's, but McCain isn't as eloquent a speaker.  He admits that.  Palin was much more interesting to listen to.  However, the guts of what McCain was saying, was inspiring, and it's what Americans want to hear.  And he has the history to prove that he's not just saying it; but that he lives it.

I'll be interested to see how the debates go.

Soundbites Rule / Solutions Fall On Deaf Ears

Soundbites rule nowadays. Politicians only care about getting elected or re-elected. No real solutions are pursued.

Goals without plans are just wishes.

Obama used a soundbite from T.Boone Pickens recently, in discussion the energy problem and oil. He quoted Pickens as saying "Drilling isn't the answer" and then proceeded to demonize anyone that suggests that we should have more domestic drilling. This is the perfect example of the soundbite, because the audience nodded their heads in agreement, even though the fact is that he intentionally misquoted Pickens.

What Pickens actually said is "Drilling alone, isn't the answer". In an interview after the Obama speech, Pickens made a point to re-iterate his original statements, and to clarify that he feels that every reasonable avenue of energy exploration should be pursued, but that any one solution is not a solution at all. That's what he said, but that's not a soundbite. Soundbites get easy votes. Explanations fall on deaf ears.

Soundbites make people smile. The win elections. They don't solve problems.

Wouldn't it be nice to get a politician that didn't care about being re-elected? Of course, these aren't politicians. They're called statesmen. It's really hard for a statesman to be elected, because people want soundbites. They want some simple little blurb that makes them feel better, and that makes them feel smarter and/or more virtuous than people they disagree with. Feelings don't provide solutions. They never have. They never will.