SEARCHING FOR COMMON GROUND
Since starting this new blog on Monday, I've had a number of discussions with friends of both parties about the election of President Obama, the campaign, partisan politics and where we go from here. But more than anything else, it seems we've all discussed a genuine hope that perhaps now will be the time we can all work together to find common ground. To build on what we agree on, and to respectfully debate that which we don't.
I got an email this morning from a dear friend who doesn't particularly share my "lean to the right" and who has been troubled by much of what he's read in previous blogs of mine. He wasn't sure he could stomach more of it and was considering simply not reading. What I told him this morning, as I said at the end of the blog on Tuesday, is that I want this to be a discussion rather than a monologue. I'd love for these posts to be not simply my opinions, but conversation starters for all of us to talk about. Will what I write be conservative and tilt to the Right? Most likely. But I will base my opinions on what I know to be factual., and not simply rhetoric. I will call out good ideas when I hear them no matter which side of the aisle they come from, and I will write what I hope will encourage smart, positive conversation about how we can make a positive impact on our country.
Case in point - last night, I received a wonderful post on my Facebook page from another great friend named Jonathan Rice who is a gifted designer and art director here in Dallas. Again, Jonathan and I do not always find ourselves on the same page politically, but we do enjoy the debate and certainly respect each other's opinions. I asked him if I could post his work here and he graciously said I could. Here it is.
THE FABRIC OF OUR NATION: HOPE, NOT FEAR
I hope after the overwhelming vote for Obama that the opposition will not lay this victory down at the feet of dishonesty and corruption. And I hope those people will not continue their spirit of fear towards our new President and the positive changes he may bring. I am excited for our nation's future for the first time in over 12 years. I know many people's thoughts about potentially higher taxes, bigger government and that the very fabric of our country will change over the next several years are big issues that they fear. And some of that may be true. Time will only tell. But, as a friend of mine said this week, everyone has to change their clothes from time to time -referring to the fabric of the country. And in our history we have changed that fabric many times.
We changed from the fabric of servitude to the fabric of independence in 1776; from the fabric of slavery to freedom in 1865; from the fabric of men only voting to all people voting regardless of sex in the 1920's; from the fabric of racial hatred in the first half of the 20th century to racial equality in the last half; and now from the fabric of intolerance to that of inclusion; this is what America has done all along its history — change.
Change for the future. For the betterment of our society. I think this is what happened yesterday. And I think it good. And with every change there were always those folks who feared it. Feared that our country would be worse for it. Feared that they would lose their way of life. The slave owner feared what would happen to their businesses. The men feared what the women would do to their government. The whites feared what the blacks would do to the country. And now, the religious right fears what will happen to their potential Theocracy. For those people who have spread fear or have an abundance of fear, especially my Christian brothers and sisters, I have one thing to say — 2 Timothy 1:7 " God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control."
When major Christian leaders put out fear-filled propaganda about what COULD happen under Obama, they were wrong to do so. The fear they were using wasn't the fear of God, but the fear of man. The fear of losing their position of power. The fear of the unknown. It is the same kind of fear I was raised under as a kid in a very right-wing religious home. The fear that said going to a school dance was a sin. The fear that said don't drink because it's a sin. The fear that said to my cousin in the 1950s that she couldn't continue to skate competitively because it was a sin. The fear that said I couldn't go to a movie because it was a sin. The fear that woman shouldn't wear pants because it was a sin. The fear that owning a TV was a sin. And now, the fear that some modern day Christians had about Obama, because voting for him was basically a sin. To these far-right, fearful people, I say to put your trust in God and stop being afraid of change. If the past eight years didn't teach you something about the consequences of this fear doctrine, then I pray that maybe eight years of a hope doctrine will.
I look forward to the future with hope and anticipation, NOT because of Obama, but because of a shift away from the doctrine of fear and ignorance to one of hope, intelligence and inclusion.
1 comment:
First, I think that the best way to move forward as a nation is to work together. I did not vote for President-Elect Obama and I do not believe in many of his political points of view or his personal associations. However, he was elected President of this great country and he will be my President. I will watch him closely and I will express my dissatisfaction of his politics but I will certainly respect the Office and recognize him as my President.
Interestingly enough, I heard so much during the campaign about "working together" and "reaching across the aisle". I hear so many pleas from the Left that we need to work together. I hear media last week indicating that they would support this President and "it was their job to make this work". Really? Is it the job or journalists to make the Presidency work? And if so, where was that sentiment the last 6 years? When did the Left side of the aisle act in any way shape or form like they wanted to "work together" with Republicans the past few years? Why are they pleading for that now? Maybe it's because they know how difficult they made life for the President and for Congress when they weren't in control. Now that they are in control, they want reconciliation and togetherness. Of course they do. Again, I believe that will be what's necessary to move this country forward but may I suggest that the Left should have considered putting into practice in the past what they so desperately plead for today.
I also suggest that maybe the first step could be a show of respect to the current administration. I am so sick and tired of seeing media and politicians refer to President Bush as Bush, George Bush, Mr. Bush, etc. He is President of the United States of America. Whether you agree with him or not, that is still his job and he has given 8 hard years of his life to the cause and what he believed was the right way of doing things. President-Elect Obama even called him "the lame duck President" the other day and according to his transition team, stormed into a scheduled meeting with President Bush pushing his agenda. This country cannot have two Presidents. President Bush will be President until Inauguration Day and I believe President-Elect Obama could go ahead and start "reaching across the aisle" now at any time.
Finally, it's a shame that some would like to reduce the Christian Right to the simplistic characterization of spreaders of fear. I know that there are extremes out there that take things too far but to characterize all Christians as fear mongers is like characterizing all Muslims as terrorists. And to even suggest that the Republican party is only made up of the Christian Right is also inaccurate. While Obama may have won the election there were an awful lot of Americans who voted for McCain (probably moreso that the number of Christians in the U.S.).
Maybe, just maybe, there are Americans out there that do believe in certain values for the country. Maybe there are Americans who are fearful of where our country is headed. Maybe they are fearful of turning on the television and hearing "GD" 3 times in a 15 minute time span on a network television station at 3pm. Maybe they are fearful and are trying to keep their kids innocent for a little longer in their life. Maybe they are truly fearful of what a rise in terrorism internationally means to the safety and security of their homeland. Maybe they are fearful of the illegal immigration issue but don't know how to handle it. Maybe they are fearful of where the econonmy is headed and believe that higher taxes on corporations means higher costs on everything they buy. Maybe they are fearful that the Employee Free Choice Act will make it even more difficult on U.S. businesses to compete internationally. Maybe they see that unions have demolished Detroit and American automakers while Japaness car companies (and other foreign competitors) are expanding in the U.S. Maybe they see that Detroit has asked for a bailout while Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, and Volkswagen have built plants in the U.S. or plan to do so very soon.
I submit to you that these "fears" make these people Concerned Citizens. Not fear mongers.
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