A Political Viewpoint

I avoid discussions on politics. It's not one of my favorite subjects, so I don't educate myself very well on the issues. That being the case, I can't really carry on a very deep conversation on the subject, so I mostly just avoid the issue. But, at times, it is thrust upon me as in this brief phone conversation I had yesterday:

Her: Hi, I'm blankety-blank (don't remember her name) from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and we need your input.
Me: Okay.
Her: What do you feel is the biggest threat posed by Obama and the Democratic Congress?
Me: What?
Her: What do you feel is the biggest threat posed by Obama and the Democratic Congress?
Me: I don't feel any threat from them.
Her: So, are you a Democrat?
Me: Almost.
Her: Oh, well then thank you for your time.

First off, some background. I am a registered Republican. However, I find myself becoming more and more unhappy with the Republican stance/attitude on many issues. And, I voted for Obama in the last election because I felt he was a much better candidate for POTUSA than McCain. I try to keep an open mind and am not strictly governed by Republican party policies, however my personal affiliation is irrelevant to the point I would like to make.

When the lady asked me what the biggest threat was from Obama and the Democratic Congress, I was so surprised at her use of the word "threat" that I didn't really know how to answer, hence my response of "what?" (Don't think for one minute that I didn't contemplate using Lucille's line from Arrested Development, "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it." - I was trying to be polite). When she repeated the question word for word, I had a little more time to gather my thoughts and she seemed quite irritated that I didn't feel "threatened" by the Democrats. What she didn't know is that it is precisely that attitude that has inspired me to distance myself from the Republican party and its ideals.

Now for my viewpoint. And, this is my blog, so I can say what I want and you can agree or disagree - I don't really care. But, this is how I feel about the matter. Since when am I supposed to consider the Democrats my enemies? Why should I feel threatened by them? This may come as a shock to some, but Obama is an American citizen. Every Democratic senator or congressman is an American citizen. I highly doubt that their ultimate goal is the downfall of The United States of America, so why should I consider them my enemies? It is my belief that, ultimately, the Democrats and Republicans have the same goal - a better America. Am I wrong? I don't think so. They may have differing opinions on how to get there, but ultimately, I think they're all working for a better America. So, I think it's time for the Republican party to wake up to the fact that we have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress and that's not going to change anytime soon. And if they would stop considering the Democrats as "the bad guy" and try to work with them, we might actually get some things done in this country. Case in point: we desperately need health care reform in this country. Is it going to happen? I really don't know because too many of our politicians are unwilling to compromise. They don't want to give anything to "the bad guys". If they can't have it their way, they don't want it at all. I'm so fed up with this attitude! Why can't more than one person be right? It's the idea that if two ideas are different, then one has to be wrong. I tend to believe that that is not always the case. We have had Democratic presidents that have made poor decisions and also some very good decisions. And we have had Republican presidents that have made poor decisions and also some very good decisions. I think it's obvious that nobody has all the answers and neither party is perfect. So, maybe if we all work together, we can take everyone's good ideas and decisions and make good things happen. In the words of the Fab Four, "We can work it out!"

And that's enough politics for the week.