Not Politics Anymore and a Moral Conundrum

Once upon a time (1999 or so) I had a friend who was a racist. We had not been friends for long, but she knew how I felt about racism, so she never showed me her own until one evening at a local pub, as we were enjoying burgers and drinks. I don't remember precisely what she said, but it was something that was clearly racist.

Yeah, she was drinking, but that's no excuse. And, in fact, that she said it out loud wasn't the issue. What mattered, of course, was that she viewed people as "us and them", and that she considered the "them" part of the equation to be less than the "us".

I sat there for a few minutes in stunned silence. After I regained some of my wits, I excused myself and went home. No, I didn't call her out publicly. Perhaps I should have. But I also could not condone what she felt, and the divide was deep enough that I chose to end the friendship. A leopard does not change their spots, to use an overused cliche, so I was not under any illusion that I could change her mind. But, still, I took the coward's way out. I didn't tell her why or even "that". I simply stopped taking her phone calls, I didn't answer the door when she dropped by, and I avoided the places where I might run in to her. Thus, even though my intentions were good, I did not feel good about how I handled it.

During the last three months leading up to the election, I struggled to maintain my perspective. Listening to and reading about all of the preposterous lies and half-truths told by the GOP regarding Obama made me bloody furious. Clearly, although in my mind I knew that most people with any intelligence would likely discount most of the lies, there were enough people who believed them to have an impact on the outcome of the election. Or so I thought.

During that same period of time, I was posting in a forum filled with neocons. These people were not stupid. They did not lack intelligence, but every single day they promoted and repeated the lies which originated with the McCain Campaign and other GOP party tools. I doubt that they actually believed what they were promoting. Two things occurred which really bothered me.

1. Because I felt that to say nothing was to condone and give the appearance of truth to the lies, I called them out. I never called my friend out, but I called these people out because I had come to believe that if you can not speak out against the things you strongly believe are wrong publicly, then you are no better than the person who is saying or doing the things that you think are wrong. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to be very passionate, and so I went a bit overboard towards the end. [While I am sorry for that, I am not embarrassed by my motives.]
2. Only a couple of others really called them on their lies. Most of the other Dems seemed to think it was "politics as usual", and others just ignored them. But it wasn't politics as usual to me. At least in my mind, it had gone way beyond that.

Which brings me to my next point. As I listened to John McCain's concession speech, tears welled in my eyes, and I felt badly for this man who had so much wanted to become the president. So much so that he sacrificed his integrity, first by becoming W's tool after the 2000 election, next by choosing a dangerously unqualified candidate for veep solely in order to increase his chances of winning, and last by allowing the terrible lies told about Obama to go forward and multiply--even to the point where rallies were becoming scary, violence against Obama was threatened, divisiveness was promoted, and a large group of Americans was afraid that Obama was a fanatic, bent on destroying this country.

So, please, help me out here. Are we just supposed to forget what McCain and company said and did because we won the election? Do you think it was "politics as usual"?  Or do you think that we should hold candidates for high office to a higher standard? Is it forgivable? How can people talk about what a gracious concession speech he gave, as if nothing else that he did matters, and as if all is forgiven?  I just can't seem to reconcile it all in my own mind.

Comments

[Schumey]

McCain is a true blue bigot and he knows it. Candidates running for the highest office of the land must at all times act, think and speak properly. He displayed genuine and oure disdain against Obama not because he is his opponent but because of the color of his skin.

McCain is a very good actor and his concession speech shows it.

[solomonsydelle]

I completely understand where you are coming from. I have the same issues about Bill Clinton and some of things he said about Obama when he was campaigning on Hillary's behalf.

The key, I feel, is to keep these things in mind. Do not forget them, and prepare to hear them again, the minute the Republicans and others have a chance. Then, there will be no need to play politics as usual a much there will be a need to quickly, intelligently and strategically squash any nonsense they serve.

So, we are all the wiser and hopefully the better. We'll be read next time and will disarm them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this matter.

[Dr. Lumplevin]

We'll be read next time and will disarm them. Hopefully we can get rid of the 10% of the Press, not to speak of applying the Fairness Doctrine to shut them up for good. Everybody who spoke against or speaks against Pres. Obama are all racists and need to be jailed for hate crimes.

These people and their endless criticizing are a danger to our country, freedom and Constitution!

[Relevant Rhino]

I'm going to assume the Dr. is being snarky, because if he isn't, well, I don't even want to think about that...

You deal with racism and racists the same way you deal with anyone else who's opinions are deluded and invalid...ignore them and refuse to give their organizations any kind of credible outlet with which to spill their vitriol. Or laugh in their fucking faces, either way, don't give credence to their bullshit.

[nicole]

Very thoughtful responses, I must say. Loved the snark, Dr. Lumplevin. Thanks everyone. :)

[Carl]

Racism and bigotry hae no place in a modern freedom loving society.

I feel the same way about racists as I do about thse people who campaigned so effectively for proposition 8. These people need to be confronted at every moment that they expose their bigotry. People like McCain, Palin, and their supporters need to be shoved right out of politics, they have no place anywhere near the White House, the Hill, your nation's highest courts, or at any level of government or the judiciary.

[Dan Brantley]

What is most interesting to me is that neither side saw the plank in their own eye. The smallest slight or misstatement by one side was taken by the other as an excuse to print the vilest most vicious gossip and rumors that could be found.
Why each party felt the need to promote their own agenda by castigating the other, is the question I have. And this goes beyond just negative campaigning, there was very little investigation to discover the who, what and how about a candidate - but an awful lot of investigation simply for the purpose of pointing out flaws and a contrived resemblance to the Devil incarnate.
And if called on it. Each justified this character assasination by pointing to equally vile and untrue statements by the other side. Rumors were repeated by enough people that they became "fact." And by carefully phrasing stories and "reports" inuendo replaced competent well thought out and balanced reporting.
I know blogs are a place to vent and rail against the topic-du-jour. But the volume was raised so loud that I just quit listening. And I imagine I am not the only one.
And to what result? Although the electoral college was pretty clear-cut, the popular vote showed much less of a split. So how many people did three months of pure bile disguised as "truth" actually convince?
Perhaps candidates, and their parties (if affiliated) should have a pre-set small spending limit, whether they raise it themselves or take the federal campaign funds. With very limited funds hard choices would have to be made about whether it is best to spend precious time getting your message out, or blow your budget attacking your opponent.

And after all the sturm and drang,
Your side (whichever one it is)
is not nearly as good as you would like to believe,
And the other side is not nearly as evil as you would like others to believe.

But finally let me say, Thank God for the USA. As messy, flawed, bitter and stupid all this was and is, we manage to survive it every four years and continue. We truly are a beacon of light for the world, as dim and yellowed as it might be from time to time.

[nicole]

Carl, of course I completely agree. And, it is very sad that people do not understand that until we all view each other as interdependent and forgo the racist crap, we are destined to be caught up in wars and internal struggles.

[nicole]

Dan, I agree that it was a vitriolic election cycle. However, the vitriol came primarily from the far right. Obama never played the cards he could have, he stayed above it.

And yes, when all is said and done, we do survive it. Albeit with very different viewpoints. :)

[Dan Brantley]

Now, now Nicole, Watch out for that plank.

Go back and read some of your blog headlines over the past few weeks/months. Swap Obama for McCain, And Biden for Plain and see how fair they sound.

"But what I said was TRUE!" you'll argue.

Here's an example: If a man accidentally runs over a dog on a foggy night. Both of the following headlines could be TRUE:

"Dog accidentally hit by pick-up on dark road."

"Man viciously crushes defenseless puppy to death with huge gas guzzling SUV."

One is stating facts and letting readers decide for themselves.
And the other is attempting to sway opinion by selectively spinning the description.

But then again the name of your blog is "Inspire Emotion"

It has been a pleasure swapping comments with you. And I applaud your publishing my differing opinion. Let's see what the next four years bring.

[nicole]

You make a good point, Dan. :) HOWEVER, I must point out a few things:
1. I never claimed to be impartial.
2. I did write with an eye toward electing Obama because I felt that the alternative could literally be deadly.
3. The McCain Campaign gave us much ammunition, primarily in the form of the most unqualified candidate for high office ever -- Governor Palin.
4. Obama did not participate in the mudslinging. In fact, he did not even respond to it most of the time. Which is a good thing.
5. The GOP ramped the mudslinging up to a point where it was arguably the worst we had seen in a national election. And, they did not tell the truth. They lied. And lied. And lied.
6. I make no apologies for responding as I did. I was motivated by fear, and by a sense of fairness. I believe that Americans gave their own opinions on November 4.

Now, I have a question for you, Dan. After all that we have learned, do you honestly feel that Sarah Palin was an acceptable candidate for veep? And if so, why.

[An American in France]

I was very upset by the mudslinging. When Obama made a statement regarding his religion being Christian based instead of Muslim, I wish he would have said, "So what if I was Muslim." I know that would have hurt his chances with those who either bigots or ill-informed, but would have made changes in the way mudslinging in elections is.