On Politics, Family and Friends...

This past election season has been a particularly heated season. I think that all of us have been frustrated by the political process, the absolute gridlock, partisan bickering and general breakdown in government. We all think that we have the answer or those we choose have the answer or our parents have the answer and the fact stands that we don’t. There are a lot of myths floating out there about what the policies of the various parties are. One of the classics is that the Democrat party is the “tax and spend” party; I think Bill Clinton (no matter what you think of his personal faults) put that myth to rest. My opinion is that all of them are half-truths and it all depends to which part of the half-truth you adhere (kind of like “the glass is half-full, half-empty” thing).

I have described myself, politically, on my FaceBook page as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. I choose to keep that description. I came out, vehemently, as a supporter of Barack Obama. I voted for him the first time around and I had no intention of backing down this time around. I am a registered Democrat, I have been, except for a brief period when I was disenchanted by the loss of Jimmy Carter for his second term; I registered as an independent and voted for Ronald Reagan in his second term. (In spite of my admiration and respect for the late Geraldine Ferrara, I could not justify the choice of a first term congressional representative [even one from my own district] as a vice-presidential choice. As far as I’m concerned, that was what sunk it for John McCain [Sarah Palin? Really! That was a “sales tactic,” not a valid political choice]). But I digress; I’m trying to make things better, not worse.

A cousin, on her FaceBook page, was protesting the fact that an individual who she thought was a friend of hers, unceremoniously “unfriended” her. What was the reason? My cousin was defending a political statement that her niece made. Evidently, this friend disagreed with the position and “unfriending” was her recourse. I tried to console her, I don’t know if it worked. However, I have found myself in a similar situation; a person whom I respect (though not a personal friend, more of an acquaintance) unceremoniously “unfriended” me. Subsequently, I noted that another acquaintance posted a “meme” to which to I took offense because it made generalizations about Democrats none of which described me.

I have used my FaceBook and Twitter accounts to vent my political frustrations and I believe that some of my rants may have offended the sensibilities (or sensitivities) of some of my FaceBook friends and Twitter followers. For this I am deeply sorry. It was never my intention to offend anyone. I was merely venting my frustration and rooting for the guy I supported. The unfortunate part of any contest is that someone also loses. His supporters take it personally. I never thought that Mitt Romney was a “bad guy.” I disagree with his politics; I disagree with his solutions to the problems. For those of you who disagree with me politically and wish to “unfriend” me, I understand. For those of you who do not wish to read or discuss my political rants, please let me know in a private message; I will put you on a list restricting you to general, non-political postings. If you’re a family member: tough. Remember, you choose your friends, God chooses your family.

Politics is very much like religion: we necessarily think that what we believe is the Truth; if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be what we believe.

Amen.