First and foremost, it appears that nothing is sacred in politics anymore (if it ever was...)
Opinions are more important than truth.
I did not first think about this concept in the context of politics today. I was listening to NPR's Morning Edition as they discussed the backlash against their reporting on a Stanford study that indicated no clear benefits of eating organic vs. normal food.
Liberal backlash against NPR? That clearly indicates the apocalypse is upon us.
Even those third party agitators are getting into the act, inferring that the Romney/Ryan ticket is closer to Stalin than President Obama.
Of course, comparisons of this National Review cover to old Soviet propaganda posters didn't help any...
So how do Republicans and other (sic) right-wing extremists respond?
With the epitome of low-hanging fruit, of course.
There are articles floating around that do a creditable job of comparing the early days of Hitler's career to President Obama's - I mean they do a really good job. So good, that if you didn't know better you might believe that Hitler and Obama were brothers from other mothers. I'm not going to link to any of that here...if you want it Google will help you find it.
What do I think about all this? Frankly, I'm not excited about either one of these guys. I believe politics has overcome our collective good sense and as a country we worry more about which party will be elected instead of trying to get some folks in office - any office - who might do our country some good.
I think much of the blame for this comes as a result of America's ever-increasing - yet misguided notion - of liberty. Liberty isn't defined by the ability of each individual citizen to do whatever they want and for those who can't to be carried by the government. Liberty is an idea; it's not about us as individuals, it's about us as a collective group of like-minded people.
Well, in case you hadn't noticed, America is not a collective group of like-minded people anymore. So really, whoever gets the most votes in November won't really matter - not in the long run.
That's what I think - what about you?
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Mike, you and I see things so similar you would think that I am in your political corner. Becoming one of your followers and holding fervently to the ideas you believe and seeing eye-to-eye with you at the expense of seeing eye-to-eye with anyone who may oppose even one of my political ideals. I agree, does truth matter. Personal truth seems to, but that is again a matter of opinion. I think at the core of this political battle that each man believes he is doing what will be right, for them. They want America to be a better place for them and then, if it is better for them it has to be better for us, right? I dont think so, but I wonder if they are really concerned with solving our problems, or theirs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rebecca! What a great comment - not the part about my philosophy, but the part about what the candidates concerns are - I think you are right on. Politics has become a career instead of an act of service. It reminds me of the Pharisees who evolved from servants of the Lord to arbiters of right and wrong.
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