A Plea

The thing that depresses me about what I'm about to write is that I will, for a few short moments, be agreeing with something Laura Ingraham said. Please don't judge me--I promise I'll explain.

A few days ago, on Good Morning America, Ingraham told George Stephanopoulos that a comment President Obama made was un-presidential. This is the comment, made on a Univision radio program:

"If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, we're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us, if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2."

I agree with Ingraham (*cringe*). I have been pretty bugged by the way President Obama campaigned in the weeks preceding yesterday's election. It was incredibly partisan, and focused a lot on talking about what the Republicans are going to do if we let them take power, and how we have to prevent it. I don't disagree with that view--but I do think the president shouldn't be espousing it. Like Ingraham said, “I know that everyone is rough and tumble in this campaign. But he is still the president."

You can breathe again now--here is where I stop agreeing. The next thing Laura Ingraham said was this: “The fact of the matter is there is a national revolt going on against many of the policies that he and Nancy Pelosi pushed through against the will of the people, number one health care reform. That is not an enemy of the country; those are the people of the country.”

Unfortunately, Laura, the actual fact of the matter is that there is not a national revolt--there is a partisan revolt, and the people who are revolting are conservatives. (Bahahaha... That was not intentional. Sorry guys.) President Obama and Nancy Pelosi did not push anything through against the will of the people--they pushed it through against the will of some of the people, and completely according to the will of others. 

You see, this is the thing that makes me want to smack any and every person who has been saying nonsense like "We've had enough," or "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore," or--worst of all--"We're taking our country back." You have got to be kidding me, Tea Partiers. Just who exactly do you think you're taking "your" country back from?! Us, that's who! The other half of the American people, the ones who don't want the same things as you! But what you don't seem to understand is that we have just as much right to this country as you do. While Bush was president, we weren't getting the things we wanted; now that Obama is president, you're not. That's just how things go. 

Don't get me wrong, that's not how they should go. But the unbelievably sad truth is that we as a country have not yet been able to rise above this selfish playground mentality in which everyone who isn't the same as us is an enemy. We should all know this by now.

I lied before when I said that I was done agreeing with Laura Ingraham. (Sorry.) There's one more thing she said that I wholeheartedly want to repeat. "That is not an enemy of the country," she said. "Those are the people of the country.” Well, Laura Ingraham, you are right--and now I want you to turn around and direct that phrase at yourself. 

What I wish my politically conservative friends and family could understand is that liberals are not the enemy. They are not "Hollywood" and "society." They are not "the world"; they are not Sodom and Gomorrah. In many cases they are your family and friends (as is the case with everyone who is reading this post, because you are all obviously connected to me in some way). In all cases they are Americans. And they have the same rights you do. America does not have a state religion. And we do not allow one religion to control others. Conservatives, your religion does not give you political supremacy. 

What it does give you is societal responsibility. If you consider yourself a Christian, you are commanded to "love thy neighbor as thyself." You are told to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." And you are told not to judge. In the realm of politics, this means that you do not call liberals names. You do not question their standing as members of their church, whatever church it is. You do not condemn people, either publicly or in your own mind, for having different political beliefs. Obviously this goes both ways. 

So if I may, I would like to make a request of every person who reads this. If you are a conservative, and if we are friends on Facebook, please send me a message. (If not, go to my profile and send me an email.) Ask me what my political beliefs are, and ask me why. Let me explain them to you, and make an effort to look past your current assumptions. I promise you will be surprised.