I was fired up in my last post. And now I'm just kind of burned out, but I suppose I ought to at least clarify what made me so angry in the first place.
During the hours after the election, I
found out from the social media world...Facebook, Twitter, and blogs....that as an Obama voter I'm "brown",
uneducated, on welfare, and that I have no Christian values or even
morals to speak of. All of that was somewhat distressing to me except
for the brown part, because I've always had trouble tanning. So I'm
looking forward to summer this year.
Look, I
realize people were upset because their candidates/positions lost. I get
that. In the opposite situation, I would also be upset, and might even
post something on social media that I would later regret ...though I
sure hope I'd have more sense. And I'm happy to say that NO ONE that I
consider a good friend was foolish enough to post something
racist/vicious/plain stupid. I think that validates my taste in friends.
I
think the brown, uneducated, and on welfare part are obviously stupid
enough to gloss over, but I would like to say something about Christian
values and/or morals. Please prepare yourself for a rant, because almost
nothing is more annoying to me than this particular talking point.
Republicans
do not own God. Other things not owned exclusively by Republicans
include, but are not limited to: Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the
Bible, truth, salvation, churches, morals, decency, and heartfelt
convictions.
You do not get to go onto your social
media platform and explain that all Christians obviously feel one way
and if you feel differently, you aren't a Christian. I even read one blog post that asserted that God would never tell two Christians differing things, so all Christians should be united on who to vote for in the election.
If
you can show me even ONE issue that all Christians agree on, I will buy
you a Coke float every day for a year (except not really). So there is either a problem with God or with the listeners, and I know who I'm bettin' on.
I can't even think of one major issue
that all Protestants agree on, much less all Protestants,
Catholics, Orthodox, and "Other" branches of the church, and I'm
really racking my brain here. Our views differ on the process of
salvation, on who is saved, the afterlife, the gifts of the Spirit, the proper structure of the
Church, the life and deeds of Jesus, the right way to pray, the way to administer sacraments, what
happens during Communion, how often to take Communion, and I could go on. Heck, even our
Bibles don't look the same. Catholics and Orthodox Christians have seven
more books ( think chapters) than Protestants do, plus some extra passages in the books we do share.
So it should
shock no one that it is actually possible to be a Christian and vote for
a Democrat in general and for Barack Obama specifically.
Despite what is seemingly obvious, I turn the radio to my Christian radio station on Thursday evening to hear "Focus on the Family" inform me that a lot of Christians did not do their Christian duty on Election Day because they did not vote for Romney. And that's just one of the more popular programs voicing what a lot of people said post election. This point of view was everywhere, and it's incredibly offensive and (inadvertently, I hope) exclusionary.
You see, there are hundreds of thousands of Christians that vote Democrat. Most historically black denominations do. Most Catholics and Orthodox Christians do also. Many Protestant denominations lean left politically as well. And so do I and many of my Christian friends and family. And we must have all missed the part of the Bible where we're told to vote Republican. Is that in the Old, the New, or the Non-Existent Testament?
I don't think Jesus would be a Democrat. But he sure as shootin' wouldn't be a Republican either. God is a lot bigger than a political affiliation. If we could embrace this truth, our political discourse might actually improve to the point of getting some things done in our nation. And I could view social media without needing to do some running afterward. Or we could just continue to villify anyone that disagrees with us and get bogged down in petty disputes. On the plus side, I'd be in really good shape.
And now I think I'm done with politics for a bit. I don't mind recording my thoughts about the election...it will be highly interesting to re-read in four years...but I'm ready to post some more about my babies and leave the bickering to the people that get paid to do that.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thoughts on Election 2012
I made myself wait a few days to publish this post, because I was so irritated and so elated that I was sure PUI (posting under the influence) would somehow get me in trouble. And then my post was SO LONG, even by my standards, that I split it into two posts.
The following are my "purely political" thoughts, which will be followed by a rant of epic proportions on Christianity and politics and how I am ready to throw a virtual match onto my mental church membership and commit imaginary arson because I'm THAT annoyed with religion and politics.
But more on that later. I'm sure you can't wait.
Sweet, sweet politics first.
1) This was a resounding victory for Obama. I've heard lots of talk about the "deeply divided nation" and "this was not a mandate", etc. Well, call it what you want to call it, but Obama won big. Over 300 electoral votes and 52% of the popular vote is a big win. And as of this writing, all 50 states are still counting votes. Only one other President has returned numbers like that for a second term and his name was Ronald Reagan.
2) Donald Trump is truly an idiot. Yes, I know he's made millions of dollars, but financial wizardry does not preclude one from being an idiot. He was calling repeatedly for revolution on Twitter because Obama was going to win the election without winning the popular vote. Except that was totally wrong. Yes, let's all go have a bloody revolt in the streets where people are hurt and killed because we lost an election. They happen every four years and you can try again, dude. Go order some of Glenn Beck's freeze dried rations and seeds and prepare for anarchy if it makes you feel better. But please stop talking.
3) It seems like after every Presidential election the losing party has to some soul searching and pundits like to proclaim their doom. Usually these claims are totally exaggerated...but sometimes they aren't. Look at the Democrats in the 1980s. After getting stomped running Mondale and Dukakis, the party moved back toward the center and elected Clinton and had very competitive races with Gore and Kerry, and of course won again with Obama. 2016 looks very good as well; there is a great crop of people coming up, including Minnesota's own Amy Klobuchar. Further, HRC has not ruled out a run. There is a reason she is resigning as Secretary of State and it might be to rest, but it might also be to re-arm the Clinton political machine. I am not sure how I feel about that yet.
4) Referencing above, the Republicans are in need of some soul searching right now. Their base is aging out, and their party is not moving to garner a new base. They lost the following groups by enormous margins, what the talking heads like to call a "super majority": Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, Jews, single women, and young people. There is a reason the party leaders are freaking out right now. Old white married evangelical Christians are not going to be the dominant political force in the upcoming generations.That's simple demographic arithmetic.
Lest you think I'm grave dancing here, I'm not at all. I used to be a Republican and I believe the country is best served by two strong parties that offer up good and reasonable ideas to the electorate. I'd like to be able to consider voting for a Republican in 2016. I might consider Chris Christie. I will not consider Paul Ryan. And neither will anyone left of the Pope, which is most of this country.
5) Speaking of 2016, the Republican primary season is a disaster. Talk about a circular firing squad. It should have been obvious to a blind man from a football field away that Romney was their best option, but they had to continue to court the flavor of the month and internally hamstring Romney before the Dems even got to him. I know, let's choose Bachmann! Santorum! Gingrich! Trump! Perry! or that Papa Johns guy! No, let's not, people. Choose the guy that is your best qualified candidate since Bush I and take the knives out of his back b/c Axelrod and Plouffe (Team Obama) are smart enough to wound Romney without any help from his "friends".
6) In the end, Romney was his own worst enemy. And that's not to say he's a bad guy or a bad candidate. I've already said I think he was the best qualified Pub since Bush Elder to run. But he was completely unable to attack "Obamacare" which was actually "Romneycare" and he was actually a moderate as a governor of Massachusetts. Now, it's fine to change over time and to change your political positions over the years. We all do this. But it's not good to change from month to month or week to week and Romney was forced into this constantly. He was trying to ride two wildly divergent horses in the Republican "base" and the independent voter. And it was impossible to tell what HE actually thought half the time. Was he moderate Mitt? Newly conservative Romney? Impossible to say. He didn't help himself out any here with his odd unscripted moments. "Binders full of women", etc. And the 47% remark was just awful.
7) The electoral map is heavily favoring Democrats these days. Virginia, NC, Ohio, and Florida are now solidly purple. Out of the 10 swing states, Obama won 9 of them, and most of them weren't actually all that swingin'...meaning most of them were not tight races in the end. And you know what's set to become purple over the next twenty years? Texas. If the Republicans lose Texas they will never win another Presidential election.
8) I'm hoping that the Tea Party's brief heyday in the national spotlight is done. Please, please let it be so. I can't think of a more destructive force in this nation's politics than this strange group of super patriots that were conspicuously absent when the Republicans were racking up debt faster than Usain Bolt in search of a medal. Then a man with brown skin is elected and all of a sudden America is under siege and they can't believe the spending! Though I'm sure that was just a coincidence and they would have hounded McCain just as hard and been just as concerned about his birthplace and college transcripts and jewelry. Or perhaps not.
9) I don't have a ton of thoughts about the Democrats except they need to keep on keepin' on. They have all the winning narratives and all the winning positions right now and their rallies actually LOOK like America...which is to say they are diverse in appearance and diverse in appeal. And there are a lot of former Republicans like myself that find themselves in the Donkey camp b/c the Elephant has the left the building known as reality far, far, far behind.
10) Regarding the President specifically, I'm delighted that he's back and I'm hoping his political naivete from the first term is totally gone. He's not going to get much of a welcome because of the looming "fiscal cliff" and I expect he'll have to wade right into that fray. The inmates are running the asylum over in the House...on the left and the right, because the House has been gerrymandered to a ridiculous degree...but he's going to have to find a way to consensus. Despite the fact that the partisan BS is going to continue unabated, I'm so happy to have a man of vision and integrity at the helm as we continue forward. I think he's a good President with a chance to become a great one and I very much look forward to the next four years.
The following are my "purely political" thoughts, which will be followed by a rant of epic proportions on Christianity and politics and how I am ready to throw a virtual match onto my mental church membership and commit imaginary arson because I'm THAT annoyed with religion and politics.
But more on that later. I'm sure you can't wait.
Sweet, sweet politics first.
1) This was a resounding victory for Obama. I've heard lots of talk about the "deeply divided nation" and "this was not a mandate", etc. Well, call it what you want to call it, but Obama won big. Over 300 electoral votes and 52% of the popular vote is a big win. And as of this writing, all 50 states are still counting votes. Only one other President has returned numbers like that for a second term and his name was Ronald Reagan.
2) Donald Trump is truly an idiot. Yes, I know he's made millions of dollars, but financial wizardry does not preclude one from being an idiot. He was calling repeatedly for revolution on Twitter because Obama was going to win the election without winning the popular vote. Except that was totally wrong. Yes, let's all go have a bloody revolt in the streets where people are hurt and killed because we lost an election. They happen every four years and you can try again, dude. Go order some of Glenn Beck's freeze dried rations and seeds and prepare for anarchy if it makes you feel better. But please stop talking.
3) It seems like after every Presidential election the losing party has to some soul searching and pundits like to proclaim their doom. Usually these claims are totally exaggerated...but sometimes they aren't. Look at the Democrats in the 1980s. After getting stomped running Mondale and Dukakis, the party moved back toward the center and elected Clinton and had very competitive races with Gore and Kerry, and of course won again with Obama. 2016 looks very good as well; there is a great crop of people coming up, including Minnesota's own Amy Klobuchar. Further, HRC has not ruled out a run. There is a reason she is resigning as Secretary of State and it might be to rest, but it might also be to re-arm the Clinton political machine. I am not sure how I feel about that yet.
4) Referencing above, the Republicans are in need of some soul searching right now. Their base is aging out, and their party is not moving to garner a new base. They lost the following groups by enormous margins, what the talking heads like to call a "super majority": Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, Jews, single women, and young people. There is a reason the party leaders are freaking out right now. Old white married evangelical Christians are not going to be the dominant political force in the upcoming generations.That's simple demographic arithmetic.
Lest you think I'm grave dancing here, I'm not at all. I used to be a Republican and I believe the country is best served by two strong parties that offer up good and reasonable ideas to the electorate. I'd like to be able to consider voting for a Republican in 2016. I might consider Chris Christie. I will not consider Paul Ryan. And neither will anyone left of the Pope, which is most of this country.
5) Speaking of 2016, the Republican primary season is a disaster. Talk about a circular firing squad. It should have been obvious to a blind man from a football field away that Romney was their best option, but they had to continue to court the flavor of the month and internally hamstring Romney before the Dems even got to him. I know, let's choose Bachmann! Santorum! Gingrich! Trump! Perry! or that Papa Johns guy! No, let's not, people. Choose the guy that is your best qualified candidate since Bush I and take the knives out of his back b/c Axelrod and Plouffe (Team Obama) are smart enough to wound Romney without any help from his "friends".
6) In the end, Romney was his own worst enemy. And that's not to say he's a bad guy or a bad candidate. I've already said I think he was the best qualified Pub since Bush Elder to run. But he was completely unable to attack "Obamacare" which was actually "Romneycare" and he was actually a moderate as a governor of Massachusetts. Now, it's fine to change over time and to change your political positions over the years. We all do this. But it's not good to change from month to month or week to week and Romney was forced into this constantly. He was trying to ride two wildly divergent horses in the Republican "base" and the independent voter. And it was impossible to tell what HE actually thought half the time. Was he moderate Mitt? Newly conservative Romney? Impossible to say. He didn't help himself out any here with his odd unscripted moments. "Binders full of women", etc. And the 47% remark was just awful.
7) The electoral map is heavily favoring Democrats these days. Virginia, NC, Ohio, and Florida are now solidly purple. Out of the 10 swing states, Obama won 9 of them, and most of them weren't actually all that swingin'...meaning most of them were not tight races in the end. And you know what's set to become purple over the next twenty years? Texas. If the Republicans lose Texas they will never win another Presidential election.
8) I'm hoping that the Tea Party's brief heyday in the national spotlight is done. Please, please let it be so. I can't think of a more destructive force in this nation's politics than this strange group of super patriots that were conspicuously absent when the Republicans were racking up debt faster than Usain Bolt in search of a medal. Then a man with brown skin is elected and all of a sudden America is under siege and they can't believe the spending! Though I'm sure that was just a coincidence and they would have hounded McCain just as hard and been just as concerned about his birthplace and college transcripts and jewelry. Or perhaps not.
9) I don't have a ton of thoughts about the Democrats except they need to keep on keepin' on. They have all the winning narratives and all the winning positions right now and their rallies actually LOOK like America...which is to say they are diverse in appearance and diverse in appeal. And there are a lot of former Republicans like myself that find themselves in the Donkey camp b/c the Elephant has the left the building known as reality far, far, far behind.
10) Regarding the President specifically, I'm delighted that he's back and I'm hoping his political naivete from the first term is totally gone. He's not going to get much of a welcome because of the looming "fiscal cliff" and I expect he'll have to wade right into that fray. The inmates are running the asylum over in the House...on the left and the right, because the House has been gerrymandered to a ridiculous degree...but he's going to have to find a way to consensus. Despite the fact that the partisan BS is going to continue unabated, I'm so happy to have a man of vision and integrity at the helm as we continue forward. I think he's a good President with a chance to become a great one and I very much look forward to the next four years.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Halloween!
 |
| The elusive Sasquatch, caught on film in a witch's hat and dimples, clutching a small pumpkin... |
Every year I think to myself that I'd like to make a bigger deal out of holidays and every year I find myself thinking "Huh, I guess I better do something" about two days before the event. I think my problem is not lack of enthusiasm so much as lack of organization. And also lack of funds. That plays a very large role.
 |
| Adelaide does not suffer from lack of enthusiasm. Graydon, not so much. |
Addie loved her outfit. So much so that this is one of the few shots that I got of her because mostly she was a blur of sugar high motion. The vest was an addition for trick or treating because it was chilly out there!
 |
| The vest was an addition for trick or treating. She didn't want to wear a coat that would hamper her tutu. |
 | ||||||
| See? Blur of motion, all the time! |
 |
| Serious stuff! |
Graydon also loved his costumes. Well. Not really. The first one was a little small.
 |
| Mom. Seriously? |
 |
| Notice how small the hat is, in particular. It's a yarmulke. Oy vey! |
So we moved on to the duck, which was originally intended for Addie. She gave me the toddler equivalent of "aw hells no" to that though, so the duck moved down to Graydon. He was still not a big fan.
 | ||
| Still not impressed. |
 |
| The hood was a little big. And also the body. And the arms...well, everything really. But it was warm! |
We then attempted a few family pictures, which all failed miserably. These were the best ones. And by "best" I mean ..."not good but better than a poke in the eye" quality. We are all looking at the camera and that's a success in my book.
It wasn't our best picture taking event, but we had a good time. We had friends over to eat and then trick or treat and a good time was had by all, especially the kidlets.
I do have one last funny sequence from Halloween day to share. Graydon has a Superman shirt with a cape attached that I got him a while ago, planning to take pictures of him when he starts walking. Well, I put it on him for Halloween day and during my cleaning I looked up to see that he'd found a noble steed.
 |
| Tally-ho! |
 |
| Uh-oh, I think I'm busted! |
 |
| So proud of himself! Notice that Rocky is now at the very far right of your picture. Such a patient and sweet little fellow he is! |
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