Political Mayhem Rethought

I posted the blog, below (in blue), a few days ago, but then withdrew it, probably before some of you  even had a chance to read it.   I was concerned about my broad brush approach even before I posted but I was determined not to show favoritism so plowed on.   I wanted to write about behaviors -- candidates, political parties and citizens -- without letting my personal candidate preference show.  In hindsight, a mistake.  After posting, readers challenged me and rightfully so.

The first criticism was about my lumping together all three candidates.  This felt very wrong to some readers, and I had to agree.  Trump definitely is the candidate who has overwhelmingingly won the disrespect and disgust of so many of us.   He makes a mockery of our political system and insults us all with his rude and ignorant behavior.  My generalization to make a point was unfair to both Clinton and Sanders.

Secondly, bundling together the voters as one huge block was unfair as well.  Some voters (most of my friends I will confess) are well read, well prepared to vote and are not mudslingers.  Once again I was speaking in generalities, but too many toes were unfairly stepped on.  For this I apologize.

What I have found very positive about this experience is that my friends trusted me enough to believe I would hear what they had to say, and I did.   Their criticism resulted in a number of deeply rewarding political discussions about specific candidates as well as citizenship behavior.   

And all these days later, the primary season almost over, let me state my delight at the history-making opportunity before us -- Hilliary Clinton as our candidate for President of the United States, a woman of great intelligence, experience and education. We will soon have, I hope, our first woman president.

                                      

~~~

"America has hosted 56 presidential elections -- 

33 of them before women received the right to vote.

 Exactly zero of those elections featured a female nominee from one

 of the two major political parties.

Until Hillary Clinton."

~ Ezra Klein

Original Blog Posting 6/3/16

Political Mayhem

This blog is my travel journal. Along the way I also post my thoughts about life as observed from the road. Naturally political observations appear from time-to-time. How can they not? But I do not intend to engage in campaigning nor do I want to tangle up my comments about campaign behavior with political preferences.

As this primary season unfolds I've narrowed my thoughts down to two central concerns:

1).  Campaign behavior of the candidates and their parties, and

2).  Voter complicity in the madness.

The three candidate choices before us represent only what we're left with after weeding out too many others to even recall their names. That elimination process was long and arduous, leaving many of us exhausted. Nevertheless, here we are, painfully engaged in the last gasps of this endless primary.

The remaining candidates, in hugely varying degrees have spewed lies, distortions, threats and insults. Misogynist, racist and xenophobic behavior has been beyond the pale. What we're left with is a campaign, for President of the United State, for heaven's sake, that's a morass of bad behavior.

                                     

Us voters are left to sort through conflicted, twisted, ignorant, bigoted and dishonest claims.  A difficult task at best, but still it feels like we've shirked our citizenship duties by not fully embracing the job.  With mudslinging and ugly disturbances we fight among ourselves.  Too many of us have followed the current mood-of-hate and displayed our own discriminatory lapses.

Our government, our nation, is too important for this boorish behavior.

Rather than enlightened political debate we're engaged in bumper sticker idiocy.  The seriousness of good government is overwhelmed with narrow, self-serving ideologies, along with an almost prideful disrespect for knowledge, truth and polite behavior.    

I hope, with all my might, this nation finds its head and heart again.

 

~~~

"Choose a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls.  Books, not weapons.  Morality, not corruption.  Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance.  Stability, not fear and terror.  Peace, not chaos. Love, not hate.  Convergence, not segregation.  Tolerance, not discrimination.  Fairness, not hypocrisy.  Substance, not superficiality.  Character, not immaturity.  Transparency, not secrecy.  Justice, not lawlessness.  Enviornmental improvement and preservation, not destruction.  Truth, not lies."

~ Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun