Thursday, June 03, 2004
Republican subtraction
I haven't posted in a while and since I found this Salon.com article and interview so fascinating, I thought I would post about it.
Whenever I think of Republicans, I think of Bush, Limbaugh, O'Lielly, etc. I have an "asshole" association. When I am forced to think about conservatives, though, I usually think about economics. I force myself to understand that there are people who are hateful and then there are people who just have a different perspective on what economic and social programs will make this country better. It is the story about when Tony went on a blind date with a coworker of mine and she said, "Oh, you are a democrat? I'm a big fan of the President." Tony and I agreed that we wouldn't immediately judge anyone for simply being a conservative or a registered Republican, but "I'm a big fan of the President"? Are you kidding me with that?
I think that, and this isn't my original thought, at this point, being a fan of the President should be considered a character flaw. If you don't support tax and spend economics or feel that social programs like welfare and medicaid are crippling and perpetuate poverty, that's fine and make your case to you representatives. But to let these things influence who would be your representative to the world? And to support a person or a group that would minimize you and legislate your inferiority?
So I have never understood black Republicans and I have never understood the Log Cabin Republicans. The guy interviewed in the Salon article gives me hope that some of these people may be coming around. This part in particular: "In 2000 George Bush won 25 percent of the gay vote. You see the parallels? [to the 1960 election where Nixon won 26% of the black vote] The president decided to trot out a constitutional amendment to remind us, even though we are already reminded daily, that we are second-class citizens. In case we harbored any illusions that we were equal, he wants to write this into the Constitution. He'll be lucky if he gets 12 [the percentage of the black vote that Goldwater, who didn't support the Civil Rights Act, won in 1964] percent [of the gay vote] in this election."
I haven't posted in a while and since I found this Salon.com article and interview so fascinating, I thought I would post about it.
Whenever I think of Republicans, I think of Bush, Limbaugh, O'Lielly, etc. I have an "asshole" association. When I am forced to think about conservatives, though, I usually think about economics. I force myself to understand that there are people who are hateful and then there are people who just have a different perspective on what economic and social programs will make this country better. It is the story about when Tony went on a blind date with a coworker of mine and she said, "Oh, you are a democrat? I'm a big fan of the President." Tony and I agreed that we wouldn't immediately judge anyone for simply being a conservative or a registered Republican, but "I'm a big fan of the President"? Are you kidding me with that?
I think that, and this isn't my original thought, at this point, being a fan of the President should be considered a character flaw. If you don't support tax and spend economics or feel that social programs like welfare and medicaid are crippling and perpetuate poverty, that's fine and make your case to you representatives. But to let these things influence who would be your representative to the world? And to support a person or a group that would minimize you and legislate your inferiority?
So I have never understood black Republicans and I have never understood the Log Cabin Republicans. The guy interviewed in the Salon article gives me hope that some of these people may be coming around. This part in particular: "In 2000 George Bush won 25 percent of the gay vote. You see the parallels? [to the 1960 election where Nixon won 26% of the black vote] The president decided to trot out a constitutional amendment to remind us, even though we are already reminded daily, that we are second-class citizens. In case we harbored any illusions that we were equal, he wants to write this into the Constitution. He'll be lucky if he gets 12 [the percentage of the black vote that Goldwater, who didn't support the Civil Rights Act, won in 1964] percent [of the gay vote] in this election."
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