Maybe Joe Lieberman is hope for us fence-sitters
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My friends know that I can’t stand politics. I’m a “Bill O’Reilly” centrist. I know those on the left will now call me a Republican idiot… and my friends on the right will tell me Bill’s an egocentric jerk. I’d say that I’m conservative, but I never want to be confused with the conservative Republicans.
Fact is, I disagree with most parties most of the time. I’m a Christian who thinks that gays should be able to be married under the laws of the government ( but it’s okay with me if your Church doesn’t want to allow it). I also do not have any issue with the supposed ‘gay lifestyle’. Many of my dear friends are gay, and their marriages have lasted longer than mine!
I don’t believe in abortion - since it affects the most poverty-stricken minorities and every life is precious. I am for the Iraq war because I think someone has to stand up to monsters… but I’m against the fact that we went in under the guise of WMDs. I don’t think we have any choice but to kill terrorists, otherwise they’re going to kill us. Will killing them make them madder? Uh, sure. Like swatting at a bunch of angry bees that are already trying to sting you.
As a Christian, I struggle with war, death, abortion, killing, greed, and interpretation of the Bible. I pray someday I will understand it all better and hope that I’m not being a hypocrite or a bad Christian… or simply a bad human being. I believe since I took Jesus as my savior and that if I try to be a better person every day, that I have a better chance of going to heaven. But I also know in my heart that my Grandmother is already there, and my Grandmother was Jewish. I’ve read the Quran and it’s not the same book that fanatical Muslims think they are fighting for, just as the Bible is not the book many fanatical Christians say that they are fighting for. We both should be following the Ten Commandments.
I believe in big business, and think drug legalization would be a great way to get more taxes out of folks… that could be used to better treat drug addicts. I don’t believe the death penalty is a deterrent… it only kills folks who can’t get a good lawyer. Lower taxes produce more tax revenue… it’s proven over and over and over again. It’s okay that rich people get richer, as long as I get a shot, too. We’re too politically correct in this country.
I believe in personal responsibility. If you have an ‘ism’ or an ailment, you are the only one that can overcome it. You may also need to ask for help. But it’s up to you. I’m not fat because of genetics… I work on a computer all day and sit on a couch every night… it’s my fault. I think the government screws up everything it thinks it can fix. I think minorities can be racist, but the fact they are the minority means their rights must be protected. Equality is only true when we’re equal… in numbers, in color, in economics, in education, etc.
I don’t think the government should infringe on our rights in order to protect democracy, that’s just stupid.
And it’s okay for me to disagree with your opinion and for you to disagree with mine. We can still both be great friends and I’ll still respect you. After all, I could be wrong. As I grow older, I find myself admitting that “I don’t know” much more often. I used to think I had to pick a side, now I’m okay with watching both sides from the middle.
Where does that leave me? I think it’s in the middle of the road.
Back to my point… Ned Lamont kicking Joe Lieberman’s butt may be a great thing for this country. To my friends and family in Connecticut, I’m a little disappointed that you ran Joe out just because he visited Iraq and came back and said things were going okay. The fact that a politician can’t possibly have a mind of his own outside of the party line is what irritates me most about both parties. Joe Lieberman was a hero and the Vice Presidential Candidate one day… then out the next.
So Joe is now going to kick Ned Lamont’s butt as an independent. That may be the greatest thing to happen in this country in a long time. Fact is we need more folks in government that don’t have to answer to the Oil Industry or George Soros.
Go Joe! Win this one for the rest of us fence-sitters!
I won’t get into religion in this note, but I will offer this on the political front. And this goes back to the long tail theory: one thing that the Internet has revealed is that there are millions of issues that are important to millions of Americans. How can a mere two political parties envelope all these issues and more importantly how can any one person agree with EVERTHING one party says they believe? Especially when people carrying the party label don’t even agree on everything?? It makes it VERY difficult to carry a party card in your wallet - yet that’s ultimately how many American vote - along party lines.
I am bothered by Democrats saying that Republicans are dividing the country. That’s crap. The 2 party system that has served us well over the years is acutally the thing that’s pullng us apart. People are realizing that it’s OK to have their own opinions - on many, many issues - and that’s it’s not just OK, but GREAT to be different. To be special. God would agree with that! But how can we hold elections with more than 2 or 3 parties? How will we find a majority? Are we headed away from representative republic toward and Internet democracy? Do we need to redefine and simplify the role of government so we can keep the 2 party system and leave non-essential issues out? I’m not smart enough to know the answers to any of these questoins, but I do know it can be tough to go against the grain on one issue, and with the grain on another. People want to label you - and if you fall on both sides of a political party fence, then you have nowhere to live.
I’m seeing a trend. My family (and many of my peers) are waking up to choices we can make that we never realized before. We can choose to home school our kids. We can choose home church. We can choose to grow our own food, or buy from local producers rather than eat the processed junk the government is subsidizing. We can manage our own finances and insurance. We can drive SUVs and recycle! (Sometimes our choices don’t add up, but we’re learning all the time). Problem is, society can make it difficult to find your way. There’s a strong pull to be like everyone else and go with the flow.
Along these lines, there’s a new book out called “Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party) (Hardcover)
by Rod Dreher
I haven’t read it yet, but I understand it’s about the historical Republican Party, written by an organic eating, Birkenstock wearing republican who realized that the GOP has changed over the years and that he liked it better before. So he’s choosing to pursue the ideals that are important to him.
Makes sense to me.
Anyways, I’ve created a website called Write In Your Vote where any US citizen can run for Office at any level (federal, state, local). I call it a “social-politicing-network”. Voters and career politicians are welcome as well. I need help getting local politicians to sign up if anyone’s interested contact me on the site!
Andrew DuVal
I think I’ll be voting for Ron Paul, but I’ll check out Lieberman after reading this.
I’l also be checking out that book
please take a look at my website if you’re interested in US Politics!