Bridging The Partisan Divide

BY EDWIN E. VINEYARD

America has become a bitterly divided nation. The negative campaign of personal attacks and the slimy back-door e-mail rumor mill carried out against Barrack Obama added to the intensity of that division.

Are we to continue the hostility born in the dirty tactics against the Clinton presidency and given impetus by the 2000 election in Florida, which many still consider stolen by the Bushites, partisan state officials, and a partisan Supreme Court?

In a pre-election analysis, a New York Times editorial writer predicted a bitter, angry Republican Party core would become dominant if Obama won the presidency. The writer also forecast that more moderate Republicans would be shunned, while this tight-knit, hard-core right wing base would be in control. If so, the writer argued, Republicans would be in a minority in the nation for years to come.

Even before the votes were counted, Obama was stretching forth his hand in political reconciliation. Let us hope that sensible Republicans accept that, and that they will join in the reform process of making this a better country for all the citizens. Continuing to emote about a smaller, laissez faire government with its hands off business and finance, while touting government intrusion into private, personal, and bedroom affairs, will not work.

While enjoying modestly large traffic in e-mails, this writer has been exposed to the seamy side as well. During the past year he has received all the accusatory e-mail alleging Obama to be unpatriotic, Muslim, a socialist, and terrorist conspirator, and similar bad things.

From time to time, over a period of years, the Militant Moderate has received e-mails touting some extreme version of traditional family and patriotic values, gun rights, accusations of baby-killing, anti-union rights, etc. Most of these promote fear of socialism, Muslims, Jews, or some other subgroup in our society.

But the messages this writer despises the most are those which tell the reader that if they do not agree with the author’s overly zealous points of view, then they are un-American. Further, these messages often state that those who disagree with the sender’s views should leave the country.

Regrettable to say, these come from Republican friends with a Red State mentality, or from other ordinary people who have forgotten about the freedoms guaranteed in America. No one should be thoughtless or cavalier about circulating such un-American slime, and no one should be nonchalant about receiving such.

One anonymous person has made a reply to this Red State threat to run off all who disagree with their “values.” This clever writer from a Blue State, with tongue in cheek, agrees to leave and join with other Blue States in forming a new nation, leaving the Red States to have their own country. The results are interesting.

Blue States would get stem cell research, the Statue of Liberty, Intel, Apple, and Microsoft. They also get all the Ivy League universities, plus Stanford, MIT, CalTech, and the highest rated state universities academically. The Red States get Dollywood, Ole Miss, TCU, and Enron.

Blue States get 85% of the venture capital of entrepreneurs. Blue States get two-thirds of the tax revenue, leaving Red States to raise their fair share of taxes to survive. Since the divorce rate is 22% lower in Blue States, Red States get more of the single moms.

Since Blue States are anti-war, they will want their troops home immediately, leaving southern evangelicals to send more of their own kids to the purposeless war they support. They will also have to raise the $12 billion a month to keep the war in Iraq going.

Blue States will have control of 80% of the fresh water, 90% of the fresh fruit and leafy vegetables, 90% of the cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, and the giant redwoods.

On the other hand, Red States get 88% of the obese Americans and their health care costs, 92% of the mosquitoes, nearly all the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, and 99% of the Southern Baptists and televangelists. They get Rush Limbaugh and Bob Jones University, while Blue States get Hollywood and Yosemite.

Some 60% of those in Red States believe life is sacred – unless gun laws or the death penalty are involved. Forty four percent believe evolution is only a theory, and 52% say Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attack. And, 61% of those in Red States believe their morals are higher than those in Blue States.

These are sobering statistics, even if cited in defensive jest by those who refuse to leave the country when told to do so.

Strong nuances of this prevalent kind of thinking came out several times on the McCain and Palin campaign trails. Palin, in particular, commended local audiences several times about being the “real America,” implying that other people in other places are not real Americans. Obvious rednecks, such as Joe the Liar and Fake Plumber, are touted as folk heroes.

Antagonistic, hostile crews do a poor job of running a railroad, and a divided, hostile people do a poor job of putting a nation back on a strong economic, social, and military base. It is time for the Republicans to join with the rest of Americans to work for what is good for all of us.

– The author, AKA The Militant Moderate, lives in Enid, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer