Posted on 11/04/2004 7:19:30 PM PST by The Loan Arranger
Before the country can find common ground, those with differing political views must be willing to listen to each other. John Kerry has conceded; now it’s time for the rest of us to do the same.
I’m not talking about giving up on anything, or even about "rallying around the president," which remains optional in a democracy. But couldn’t we all, Republican and Democrat, admit that it’s been awhile since any of us really listened to someone with whom we disagree politically?
Mutual pig-headedness may not be quite the common ground that the president had in mind when he spoke of a “season of hope’’ yesterday. But you know, it’s where we are at the moment. And if we stay there, we will never move forward together.
(My husband, reading this over my shoulder, is mocking me with an off-key rendition of the Chet Powers's song: "C'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together …") But the fact remains that many of us—people who wouldn’t dream of judging somebody on the basis of race, color or sexual orientation—are not at all subtle about not caring to hear from anyone who thinks the least bit differently. A woman at my son’s school recently asked me to coffee, but then added, “As long as you’re not voting for Bush. You’re not, are you?’’
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Mary Mitchell's reply to my letter about her Obama column was about the same. ISn't it sad? Also, I thought about complaining to Jet Magazine acting as if Keyes wouldn't be a 'black' senator but it's pointless. I'm sick of agreeing to disagree with liberals though. I only do that with my conservative brethren.
Someone said: "When coming from the left, this sort of rhetoric always means one thing only: "you conservatives must accept our point of view while we chastise you for yours." ALWAYS!"
Exactly!!!!
I feel like all I've heard is liberal hooey in the mainstream propaganda press for decades now!! I've already "heard" their side and made a decision: What they have to offer is socialist garbage.
that phrase is the final card in their deck, a way for them to avoid admitting you have trounced every single point of the belief-set to which they cling.
it really raises my hackles.
Yeah, it's time. You lost the debate and the election so NOW you want to discuss things. My experience has been that 'we might as well not debate this because we aren't going to change each other's minds' AFTER I have made a point that you couldn't rebut. Go to hell. Save your reconciliation of ideas for the minority of the country that voted for Kerry. The majority is entitled to policies that Bush promised them. PERIOD!
they can just SHUT UP and get the hell outta the way
Interesting article. And please don't send her hate mail.
She is telling her fellow lefties to drop it and concede defeat.
Another interesting part from the article....she is a pro-life liberal......weird. I insert a comment in brackets. Note how she says liberals are hypocritical.
"What pains me most, though, is to admit that I must be no better. Because when I returned home from Kerry’s election-eve campaign appearance in Cleveland, where Bruce Springsteen sang, “No retreat, baby, no surrender …,’’ I found my living room covered with homemade campaign signs. My 8-year-old daughter, who loves all God’s creatures and spent last summer doing cicada rescue ops, had made one that said BEWARE THE WAR-STARTING, NERVE-RACKING BUSH. Uh-oh, another teaching moment—and not only for her.
I told my friend, the secret Bush supporter, never to censor herself with me. As a pro-life progressive, I am out-of-step with pretty much everybody.
But I do find it ironic that we who consider ourselves so open and tolerant [us liberals] are not really so unlike our caricature of closed-minded evangelicals. And as long as we listen only to those who confirm us in our right thinking, we won’t have learned anything."
It would be comical if it weren't so sad. He must turn into himself and deny the existence of facts in front of his face to save face.
Don't get too mad at your brother. I'm sure he's a great guy most of the time just like my brother in law. They both got their butt's whacked on Tuesday.
Fine.....I'll consider the Left's main political belief....
Fine, I thought about it.....and I have decided that I am not a racist, homophobic, bigoted, greedy, scumbag.
Read the damn article.
The views of the left are wrong and contrary to the teaching of the bible, it is about time we took our country back so that it can start to get back to the way it should be, I am sure that God is not smiling down upon the lefties and their "cesspool" views. The way they think is detrimental to society and that is why we voted GWB back in, so we won't be going to hell in a handbasket.
Best of luck with your little brother. I'd take family over politics any day though (although I have no idea how I could be related to some of mine - lol).
Nice way to put it.
I think this is a good idea. I am now officially willing to allow any willing liberals to join me in my conservastism.....
Give him a call and say sorry for blowing up or something...politics isn't worth your family.
Hey, let's not be to hard. Sounds like the light is just starting to go on and she's starting to recognize the lock-step left for what it is. As they say - admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
I agree.
I didn't want anyone voting for sKerry in my house.
Now that the election is over, I can just go back to having nothing in common with libs and Dems.
I can't tell you how many leftists in my community I have invited to an online debate. Of course I will consider their opinion if they will offer one. I don't hear any, all I hear are attacks. Alan Colmes is the only rational voice in the crowd and it seems all he does is dig back into the past to find some obscure statement someone made and use it against them. That's ignoring ideology and picking off semantics. But what the hell.
I tried to "agree to disagree" with my liberal friends before the election and they would have nothing of it.
Seems now they're interested in that getting along stuff.
Looks like I've lost me some friends.
I go through that with liberal family members all the time, so I sympathize. At least this election they had the sense not to bring up politics with me--we just talked about other subjects.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.