I blame you both

Any writer that wants more people to read what they write stays away from anything too controversial.  Start talking politics or race relations in our country and you alienate half of your potential audience, at minimum.

Well, since writing isn’t my paying gig. . . .

When it comes to politics, I count myself as an independent voter that makes a choice each time by reading and listening to as much as I can.  I lean towards conservative values but want candidates to have some sense as well.  (Sorry, but you can’t base your entire reason to vote for someone because they don’t support abortion or throw out a quote from “Two Corinthians.”)  Yet, while I have voted for Independent, Third-Party, and Democratic candidates, I most often choose a Republican candidate.

It is with that philosophy and background that I pay attention to anything regarding policy, government, or politics.  And, this past week, the focal point has been President Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh.

While politics is always divisive, I don’t know that the political climate has been as polarizing in recent history as it currently is.  When tuning in, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and the like are ready with pundits, politicians, and historians pushing us farther and farther to our corners on the left and right.

I find myself completely at a loss for the ability to judge what is right in this situation.  But, I know who to look to for that sentiment – both political parties.

That’s right, I blame both of you.

If I were a staunch Democrat, I would be appalled that a nominee for our nation’s highest court would have treated anyone in a manner that Brett Kavanaugh is being accused of – no matter how many years ago it was.  More telling for me would be that this air he casts of privilege – someone whose life and entire career have been laid out in front of him with legacy Ivy League school attendance, prestigious clerkships and internships, and opportunities and appointments that all seem to lay this path out for him.

If I decided to stake my claim on everything Republican, I would see through the rhetoric and know that Dr. Ford’s testimony is suspect at best.  The timing and the message are nothing but stall tactics, hoping that the Senate not come to a confirmation vote until after the mid-term elections in November, where Democrats hope to re-claim the voting advantage.  It is their only way to combat a Donald Trump appointment to the court.

In one of my favorite movies, Tombstone, the battle is raging near the end of the movie.  Wyatt Earp and his band of men have grown tired of the bullying and killing by the gang of “Cowboys” and have launched a full-out war against them.  In one scene, one of the meeker Cowboys comes across a stagecoach with entertainers.  The male actor has been shot and killed and is being held by the female actor (who was Wyatt’s love interest in the movie).  In response, she says, “I don’t understand any of this, I only know it’s ugly.  You’re all ugly!”

Amen, sister.

The facts of the matter are likely lost somewhere between the corner far to the left and the nook way to the right.  And I, for one, have no idea how to sift through all of the garbage to decide what they are.  But I also refuse to give blind loyalty to either side.

While everyone we elect to represent us fire off on television, walk out of meetings, or make demands more suited for grandstanding than making policy, the country suffers.  The answer would be for more “regular folks” to be involved in government (notice I didn’t say politics).  Getting the elite out of the way so that those of us that policies concerning health care, taxes, and immigration really impact would likely change the shape of how our country moves into the future.

The real question is – do I think that is possible?

In a sermon I listened to recently via podcast, the pastor said that you can get more of an answer out of someone by seeing how they answer versus their actual answer.  One way was their voice pitch (higher is not better) and the other is a hesitation (also not good, as Olaf pointed out in the video).

In 2006, when Bob Corker defeated Harold Ford, Jr. for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Bill Frist’s retirement, the two combined to spend $34 million.  That is for one Senate seat in the 16th largest state in the U.S.  That’s just not made for regular folks, folks.

In the meantime, we are stuck with the toxicity created by the current political climate and it trickles down to social media posts by everyone from the famous to those on my friends list.

I just want it to be noted for the Republicans and the Democrats reading this blog – I blame you both.