An Open Letter to Republicans...
Dear sirs and madames,
On this, the day after a historic presidential election, I have three words of sage advice:
Do not fear.
Yes, the thing you least wanted to have happen, happened. John McCain (graciously) lost the election, in what can only be deemed an overwhelming manner. Yes, the ideologies that have long held political sway in this country have been soundly rebuked. I know the disappointment that you feel right now, because it's the same disappointment I felt after the election in 2000, and again in 2004. But now, like then, the sun has risen on a new day, and life is going to go on. Now is not the time for petty recriminations or schoolyard-like chants of "Neeners-neeners-neeners!" Now is the time to begin setting behind us policies that have proven themselves to be wrong: wrong for the country, wrong for the majority of the people in the country, and more widely, wrong for the world. We beging the process of looking forward, of looking for a path we might travel that leads neither in a circle nor to a dead-end, but instead toward a greater fulfillment of that which we all claim to want: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As this new journey begins under the leadership of the man you didn't want, I say again:
Do not fear.
Under the Obama administration, all of the freedoms and liberties you currently enjoy will remain intact. Those of you who do not want an abortion will not be forced to have one. Those of you who disagree with the marriage eligibility of two people in love will not be forced to marry someone of the same gender. Those of you who believe that owning a firearm makes you better able to defend your person and your home will still have that right of ownership. And so it goes...for every divisive lie that you've been told about the Democratic agenda, you will now get to see with your own eyes the truth: that the Democrats want to secure rights and freedoms for all U.S. citizens, not just those select few who agree with a limited political ideology. YOUR RIGHTS ARE INTACT. And if your chief complaint about the Democrats is that your taxes might go up: why not instead celebrate your status as a wealthy individual? Along with that well-earned celebration, you can likely indulge in the feel-good karma of knowing that you are doing Jesus' work on Earth by helping to ease the suffering of those less fortunate than yourself.
I know some of you are worried about both the Executive and Legislative branches being under the same roof, party-wise. While it is my intent to avoid snide, *gotcha!* comments, let me observe that I heard very few complaints when that same roof was yours. President Bush enjoyed six years of same-party governmental rule...to the eventual detriment of almost ALL of us. Now it's time to try another way. For too long the President (and his administration) has unconsciously - or outright willfully! - ignored the plain facts that his ideas...didn't work! Rather than continue this nasty spiral of self-destructive behavior, common sense has finally dictated that we have to try SOMETHING ELSE. And in this case, for many of you, "something else" is to be feared. Do not fear. It's not scary or evil...only different. Please: put some of the faith many of you are brimming with to work believing that things can be better, that they ought to be better...and since the old ways weren't working for most of us, then we might as well try something different.
And finally, to those of you who booed at the mention of President-Elect Obama's name during John McCain's concession speech: Fuck. You. If there is a refutation of ideology present in the results of Election 2008, it is most represented by that profoundly unhelpful attitude. That is the same sour-grapes attitude which led cornered-badger Democrats in 2000 to display "Not My President!" bumper stickers. I was never one of those people...because, at the end of the day, when all the counting was done (or stopped), when all the cries of "Stolen election!" finally hushed into awe-striken disbelief, George Bush was my president. I never once embraced or celebrated him as such, but with gritted teeth I grudgingly acknowledged him. Now, Barack Obama is your president. While I doubt that he will fuck up as astonishingly as President Bush has over the past eight years, I hope that you will forgive him the inevitable human mistakes he will make, and that in four years' time you can honestly say that your life is better, not worse, for his leadership.
Do not fear.
On this, the day after a historic presidential election, I have three words of sage advice:
Do not fear.
Yes, the thing you least wanted to have happen, happened. John McCain (graciously) lost the election, in what can only be deemed an overwhelming manner. Yes, the ideologies that have long held political sway in this country have been soundly rebuked. I know the disappointment that you feel right now, because it's the same disappointment I felt after the election in 2000, and again in 2004. But now, like then, the sun has risen on a new day, and life is going to go on. Now is not the time for petty recriminations or schoolyard-like chants of "Neeners-neeners-neeners!" Now is the time to begin setting behind us policies that have proven themselves to be wrong: wrong for the country, wrong for the majority of the people in the country, and more widely, wrong for the world. We beging the process of looking forward, of looking for a path we might travel that leads neither in a circle nor to a dead-end, but instead toward a greater fulfillment of that which we all claim to want: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As this new journey begins under the leadership of the man you didn't want, I say again:
Do not fear.
Under the Obama administration, all of the freedoms and liberties you currently enjoy will remain intact. Those of you who do not want an abortion will not be forced to have one. Those of you who disagree with the marriage eligibility of two people in love will not be forced to marry someone of the same gender. Those of you who believe that owning a firearm makes you better able to defend your person and your home will still have that right of ownership. And so it goes...for every divisive lie that you've been told about the Democratic agenda, you will now get to see with your own eyes the truth: that the Democrats want to secure rights and freedoms for all U.S. citizens, not just those select few who agree with a limited political ideology. YOUR RIGHTS ARE INTACT. And if your chief complaint about the Democrats is that your taxes might go up: why not instead celebrate your status as a wealthy individual? Along with that well-earned celebration, you can likely indulge in the feel-good karma of knowing that you are doing Jesus' work on Earth by helping to ease the suffering of those less fortunate than yourself.
I know some of you are worried about both the Executive and Legislative branches being under the same roof, party-wise. While it is my intent to avoid snide, *gotcha!* comments, let me observe that I heard very few complaints when that same roof was yours. President Bush enjoyed six years of same-party governmental rule...to the eventual detriment of almost ALL of us. Now it's time to try another way. For too long the President (and his administration) has unconsciously - or outright willfully! - ignored the plain facts that his ideas...didn't work! Rather than continue this nasty spiral of self-destructive behavior, common sense has finally dictated that we have to try SOMETHING ELSE. And in this case, for many of you, "something else" is to be feared. Do not fear. It's not scary or evil...only different. Please: put some of the faith many of you are brimming with to work believing that things can be better, that they ought to be better...and since the old ways weren't working for most of us, then we might as well try something different.
And finally, to those of you who booed at the mention of President-Elect Obama's name during John McCain's concession speech: Fuck. You. If there is a refutation of ideology present in the results of Election 2008, it is most represented by that profoundly unhelpful attitude. That is the same sour-grapes attitude which led cornered-badger Democrats in 2000 to display "Not My President!" bumper stickers. I was never one of those people...because, at the end of the day, when all the counting was done (or stopped), when all the cries of "Stolen election!" finally hushed into awe-striken disbelief, George Bush was my president. I never once embraced or celebrated him as such, but with gritted teeth I grudgingly acknowledged him. Now, Barack Obama is your president. While I doubt that he will fuck up as astonishingly as President Bush has over the past eight years, I hope that you will forgive him the inevitable human mistakes he will make, and that in four years' time you can honestly say that your life is better, not worse, for his leadership.
Do not fear.
posted by Animal at 11:34 AM
6 Comments:
Here Here!! Very well said.
ditto!
Beautifully written. Thanks, Scott. From someone who was not exactly your intended audience. ;)
Do
not
fear.
Obama
is
here.
Excellent post. Award winning, one might say.
Oooh, Feral...THAT'S tantalizing! I can think of several awards I would be honored to win...and the Pulitzer is definitely farther down on the list!
;-)
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