I was at the gym. A middle-age guy informed by “the most trusted name in news” (CNN) on the monitor overhead, was going off about a “criminal” named Trump. In a matter of fact way, I reacted to his publicly expressed accusations by inquiring as to the nature of the President’s crimes. Standing in front of the mirror combing his hair he emoted, “liar, liar, liar…”. His version of thoughtful repartee. This reinforced for me the nature of what drives many people’s political selection-process.
The President along with every Democrat candidate fails the perfect person test. A candidate’s rhetoric; personality, demeanor and tone can be just plain annoying when he or she is on the other side. However, we often excuse or ignore the excesses of those we support. This approach renders everything other than issues and performance of an elected official as central. Just look at what dominates social and mainstream media. The hyperbolic adjectives, cursing and images (photo-shopped) often employed are not designed to stimulate rational thought.
The guy in the gym demonstrated the kind of emotion one might expect he’d show toward his wife during an ugly divorce. It was personal. Reason and civility were not in play. Bernie’s face comes into view for some of us and our blood pressure soars. Mine certainly does. Any reasoned discussion of issues, ideology and track-record are easily overwhelmed by our predisposition. The candidate’s persona is easier to attack then engage in a calm review of issues. A dispassionate discussion may reveal weaknesses of our ideas or lack of knowledge. Hence a concession may be appropriate. Strong and angry is far easier than giving an inch.
When I decide who to support, I consciously try to let none of this stuff cloud my vision. I do often get that initial surge of emotion. Both when my candidate says something stupid or inappropriate (I rationalize) and when the guy whose ideas I oppose does likewise. The instinct is to attack and delegitimize. When those moments occur, I take a deep breath and try to tamp down my smoldering fire. I am not always successful. I try not to be defensive about the President’s excesses while appreciating his terrific performance. One should not contradict the other.
Many, if not most, people’s votes turn on non-issue sensibilities. The candidate’s broad political, social and economic philosophy and how closely he or she govern according to those principals is easily lost in vitriolic exchanges. We are supposed to be picking someone who will promote and legislate to fulfill our mutually embraced ideas for the good of America. It should not be about choosing a date where we seek chemistry or mutual compatibility.
To that end I’d like to suggest some basic ideas/concepts that should matter more than personality, verbal excesses and charm or lack there-of. Elizabeth Warren may be annoyingly inauthentic but it’s her proposals that disqualify her in my opinion.
Would it be nice to vote for an honest, soft-spoke, authentic, brilliant, courteous, hard-working, and sincere mensch who embraces my political and social values? Absolutely. I am open to suggestions.
In the real world I choose among candidate options not fantasies or potential lovers. I’d vote for an asshole who would help America before I’d vote for a very nice socialist. My dear conservative and traditionally liberal friends, here are some important bits of wisdom that guide my selection process detached from passion. No matter how distracting all the other garbage may be, what follows is what really matters. I am guessing that many of the following concepts will resonate with liberals if they can put aside their base distaste for the President and of course conservatives.
What a wise candidate should embrace no matter how nice or irritating .
All lives do matter. Only cowards or fools refuse to say so.
“Common sense is esoteric today”, Thomas Sowell. As noted in line above
Poverty does not cause crime
“Life is a sexually transmitted disease that is 100% fatal”, Jordan Peterson. I love this dose of reality. It motivates me.
The pursuit of Utopia often ends in slaughter.
Happiness is a choice.
Truth is not racist. Ex: 50% of murders are committed by a small percentage of young black men and boys.
Freedom is a learned value, not an inherent human desire. Dennis Prager.
Weakness is provocative. Not sure when I first used this phrase or if I had heard it previously from Donald Rumsfeld. So, half credit to him.
Government does not create jobs: free markets and risk takers do.
Money spent by private entities, profit and non-profit, are less likely to be burdened with waste, fraud and abuse then government entitles.
Lowering the capital gains tax increases revenue by fostering economic activity.
Businesses can go broke but can’t put you in jail. Government can put you in jail and spends beyond its (your dollars) means and prints money.
Someone else’s wealth takes not one penny away from me.
Billionaires buy, build, spend and invest; they create and support jobs and charities. They are not the enemy.
You will never get hired by a poor man.
Cultural problems will not be solved by spending money.
That which is received free of charge, will not be appreciated.
Kids do better with a mom and dad.
Reducing class size and spending more money on public schools will not significantly improve student performance.
Teachers unions inhibit reform.
Vouchers help those relegated in the worst schools.
Tenure after two years for teachers institutionalizes mediocrity.
Ethnic/diversity studies are grounded in a refutation of MLK’s message.
There are only two genders
The road to hell is paved with good intensions.
Virtue signaling produces unearned self-esteem and helps no one.
If athletes’ and celebrities were at home in bed by midnight, far fewer would get into trouble.
The person who never indulges deserves more credit than the ones who gets clean.
Mind altering drugs do not foster creativity or enhance sex.
Don’t trust what a man, young or old, says while having sex.
Girls who get drunk at parties take stupid risks.
Both good and bad guys want it.
Kids require more than love.
It’s unfair to ask kids to choose their religion.
Values outside of religion are ephemeral.
“The bigger the government, the smaller the individual”, Dennis Prager
The only economic system effective at eradicating poverty is capitalism. Milton Freidman.
The progress of the modern world would have been impossible without fossil fuels.
Solar and wind energy are unreliable and can only produce a fraction of the energy a modern world requires to preserve life and limb.
Nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, cheapest reliable source of energy.
“…there are only two races, the decent and the indecent”, Victor Frankel.
The only diversity that counts is opinion diversity.
Not all cultures are equally good.
Western civilization is superior in terms of freedom, tolerance, progress and opportunity.
Most universities no longer teach the western values necessary to preserve our precious nation and a free world.
America’s Founding Fathers were uniquely wise and crafted the best roadmaps to freedom, opportunity and prosperity.
Progressives are not liberal.
Equality of opportunity not outcomes nurtures freedom.
You can’t do anything you set your mind to do. Work ethic, talent, intelligence, luck and physical and mental characteristics do count.
It does matter “who started it”.
The 1st Amendment specifically protects “hate speech”. Nice speech needs no protection. Dennis Prager.
Guns are inanimate objects capable of no independent action.
Safe use of guns requires continuous training.
Young people should avoid protests/marches until they learn a bit about history, economics and humility.
The classroom should not be used to indoctrinate.
Sex education is the parents’ not the school’s responsibility.
Artists, literary figures and entertainers have an annoying habit of embracing dangerous ideologies and totalitarian figures.
Fowl-language detracts from civility, learning and artistic excellence.
Name calling to include ‘racist’, ‘homophobe’, ‘islamophobe’… ends communication.
Separate the artist from the art because there is no connection between talent and clarity of thought or reason.
The Israeli cause is morally superior to the “Palestinian” cause.
In war, the objective is not to have an equality of casualties. It is to win.
Judge people as individuals based on behavior detached from their religious origin or theology.
Gratitude nurtures a conservative mind-set.
Trustworthiness is not determined by XX or XY.
Is it a coincidence that all these common-sense rules of life and living lean in the conservative direction? I think not.
Don’t attribute to malice what can be explained by lots of beer.
Love your comment.