There's Good in both Liberals and Conservatives, says Marc Thiessen in the Washington Post
Mar 23, 2018 10:54:52 #
Marc Thiessen, who is a Conservative, wrote this for the Washington Post. His thoughts are worthy for BOTH Liberals and Conservatives. Let's hope that Hoggers on both sides take his advice to heart.
By Marc A. Thiessen March 20
I am a rock-ribbed conservative who wants Republicans to keep control of Congress. But I’m not unhappy that Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone appears to have lost the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.
Why? Because he insulted my mother.
Trailing his Democratic opponent in a district Donald Trump won by 20 points, but that still has more registered Democrats than Republicans, Saccone hit on a genius idea to turn out the vote: At a campaign rally just before voters went to the polls, he declared that liberals hate America and hate God. “I’ve talked to so many of these on the left,” he said. “. . . And I tell you, many of them have a hatred for our country. . . . I’ll tell you some more — my wife and I saw it again today: They have a hatred for God.”
My mother is a liberal Democrat, and I can tell you: She does not hate America or God. Quite the opposite; she is one of the most patriotic people I know. She grew up in Nazi-occupied Poland, fought with the Polish underground, was taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, was liberated by Patton’s Army and moved to London. Eventually, she became a doctor and made her way to the United States, where she became a U.S. citizen.
There is no one prouder to be an American. When Poland held its first free elections in 1989, Polish Americans living in the United States were invited to vote. Many did so, but my mom refused. She loved the land of her birth, but she was an American citizen now and would not vote in a foreign election. When someone hears her thick Polish accent for the first time, they often ask, “Where are you from?” She answers proudly: “New York City.”
She’s also a proud Democrat who voted for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We disagree about politics, but we both love America and want to make this country great. We just have different ideas about the best ways to do it.
So when Saccone says liberals hate America, he’s talking about my mother. I take it personally. And you should, too.
Whether you are liberal, conservative or in between, I’ll bet that you have a loved one who disagrees with you about politics. It might be a sibling or a parent or a beloved cousin, aunt or uncle — or even your kids. We should not stand for politicians from either party who insult them or question their motives or their patriotism.
Too often, politicians on both the left and right do just that. We saw this recently when, during an event in India, Clinton insultingly claimed that Trump won the parts of the country that weren’t “moving forward.” She said those voters liked what she characterized as Trump’s message that “you know, you didn’t like black people getting rights. You don’t like women, you know, getting jobs. You don’t want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are.” If you have a loved one who didn’t vote for Clinton in 2016, you should be offended. I doubt the people you love are against civil rights, or women working, or people of color succeeding. They just thought Clinton was a terrible choice for president — an impression she confirmed with those comments.
We see it in the gun-control debate that followed the Parkland, Fla., school shooting. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that if you’re not in favor of immediate action on guns, “you’re an accomplice” to the Parkland killer. Seriously? Do you have a loved one who disagrees with you about gun control? Are they accomplices to mass murder? No, they just disagree that gun control is the solution.
The problem exists on both sides of the aisle, and it’s not just politicians. American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks recalls how a few years ago he was giving a speech at a large conservative event. “I said that while my own views are center-right, I have no reason to believe progressives are stupid or evil,” he recalls. “An audience member countered, ‘You’re wrong: They are stupid and evil.’ ” Brooks is from Seattle, and almost every member of his family is progressive.
Progressives are not stupid and evil. Conservatives are not racists and misogynists. Our fellow Americans who disagree with us are not our enemies. They are our fellow Americans who differ with us. And we should not put up with politicians, on the left or right, who can’t seem to understand this.
By Marc A. Thiessen March 20
I am a rock-ribbed conservative who wants Republicans to keep control of Congress. But I’m not unhappy that Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone appears to have lost the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.
Why? Because he insulted my mother.
Trailing his Democratic opponent in a district Donald Trump won by 20 points, but that still has more registered Democrats than Republicans, Saccone hit on a genius idea to turn out the vote: At a campaign rally just before voters went to the polls, he declared that liberals hate America and hate God. “I’ve talked to so many of these on the left,” he said. “. . . And I tell you, many of them have a hatred for our country. . . . I’ll tell you some more — my wife and I saw it again today: They have a hatred for God.”
My mother is a liberal Democrat, and I can tell you: She does not hate America or God. Quite the opposite; she is one of the most patriotic people I know. She grew up in Nazi-occupied Poland, fought with the Polish underground, was taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, was liberated by Patton’s Army and moved to London. Eventually, she became a doctor and made her way to the United States, where she became a U.S. citizen.
There is no one prouder to be an American. When Poland held its first free elections in 1989, Polish Americans living in the United States were invited to vote. Many did so, but my mom refused. She loved the land of her birth, but she was an American citizen now and would not vote in a foreign election. When someone hears her thick Polish accent for the first time, they often ask, “Where are you from?” She answers proudly: “New York City.”
She’s also a proud Democrat who voted for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We disagree about politics, but we both love America and want to make this country great. We just have different ideas about the best ways to do it.
So when Saccone says liberals hate America, he’s talking about my mother. I take it personally. And you should, too.
Whether you are liberal, conservative or in between, I’ll bet that you have a loved one who disagrees with you about politics. It might be a sibling or a parent or a beloved cousin, aunt or uncle — or even your kids. We should not stand for politicians from either party who insult them or question their motives or their patriotism.
Too often, politicians on both the left and right do just that. We saw this recently when, during an event in India, Clinton insultingly claimed that Trump won the parts of the country that weren’t “moving forward.” She said those voters liked what she characterized as Trump’s message that “you know, you didn’t like black people getting rights. You don’t like women, you know, getting jobs. You don’t want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are.” If you have a loved one who didn’t vote for Clinton in 2016, you should be offended. I doubt the people you love are against civil rights, or women working, or people of color succeeding. They just thought Clinton was a terrible choice for president — an impression she confirmed with those comments.
We see it in the gun-control debate that followed the Parkland, Fla., school shooting. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that if you’re not in favor of immediate action on guns, “you’re an accomplice” to the Parkland killer. Seriously? Do you have a loved one who disagrees with you about gun control? Are they accomplices to mass murder? No, they just disagree that gun control is the solution.
The problem exists on both sides of the aisle, and it’s not just politicians. American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks recalls how a few years ago he was giving a speech at a large conservative event. “I said that while my own views are center-right, I have no reason to believe progressives are stupid or evil,” he recalls. “An audience member countered, ‘You’re wrong: They are stupid and evil.’ ” Brooks is from Seattle, and almost every member of his family is progressive.
Progressives are not stupid and evil. Conservatives are not racists and misogynists. Our fellow Americans who disagree with us are not our enemies. They are our fellow Americans who differ with us. And we should not put up with politicians, on the left or right, who can’t seem to understand this.
Mar 23, 2018 12:22:22 #
thom w
Loc: San Jose, CA
GeorgeH wrote:
Marc Thiessen, who is a Conservative, wrote this f... (show quote)
Pretty good article, but here in the attic wingers will label it fence sitting or worse. I don't rub elbows with a lot of conservatives so I can only hope those in the attic who fancy themselves conservatives are not representative.
There are a few here who call themselves conservative, and seem quite reasonable, but they seem to side with liberals here more often than conservatives. Probably part of it is these labels are old and tell an incomplete story.
Mar 23, 2018 14:25:54 #
Marc's most telling remark for me was "We disagree about politics, but we both love America and want to make this country great. We just have different ideas about the best ways to do it." It tells me that Marc is a Republican out of the old mold. In years past, polititians saw problems as they were, but devised solutions in different ways. But in this 21st Century we seem to have a different calculus - doctrinaire, strident, unbendable, (you fill-in more adjectives). I generally assume form their opinions out of their life experiences, so those who bad mouth me might be asked what happened to them.
Mar 23, 2018 15:06:13 #
thom w wrote:
Pretty good article, but here in the attic wingers will label it fence sitting or worse. I don't rub elbows with a lot of conservatives so I can only hope those in the attic who fancy themselves conservatives are not representative.
There are a few here who call themselves conservative, and seem quite reasonable, but they seem to side with liberals here more often than conservatives. Probably part of it is these labels are old and tell an incomplete story.
There are a few here who call themselves conservative, and seem quite reasonable, but they seem to side with liberals here more often than conservatives. Probably part of it is these labels are old and tell an incomplete story.
Mar 24, 2018 08:52:06 #
thom w wrote:
I don't rub elbows with a lot of conservatives so I can only hope those in the attic who fancy themselves conservatives are not representative.
They are not representative of the majority of conservative minded people...at least on here, they tend to be embarrassing wack jobs...well, at least seven or nine of them are just that.
Mar 24, 2018 08:53:49 #
mwalsh wrote:
They are not representative of the majority of conservative minded people...at least on here, they tend to be embarrassing wack jobs...well, at least seven or nine of them are just that.
Mar 24, 2018 09:01:28 #
mwalsh wrote:
They are not representative of the majority of conservative minded people...at least on here, they tend to be embarrassing wack jobs...well, at least seven or nine of them are just that.
Checkers is already liquored up today. "I don't get no respect from no damn body!!"
Mar 24, 2018 09:01:58 #
Interesting that thus far none of the major whack-jobs on either side of the divide have weighed in. Nice to have civil discourse for a change. I guess the anonymity of the web takes the lid off the id for some folks, speech which might earn them a punch-out in "real life" is common, on both sides.
Mar 24, 2018 09:30:25 #
GeorgeH wrote:
Interesting that thus far none of the major whack-jobs on either side of the divide have weighed in. Nice to have civil discourse for a change. I guess the anonymity of the web takes the lid off the id for some folks, speech which might earn them a punch-out in "real life" is common, on both sides.
I'm on a new forum these days ... "no religion, no politics, no cussin', have fun". It's interesting trying to sort the sheep from the goats by the use of language allowed.
Mar 24, 2018 09:33:44 #
When they get on that roll that is described in the article, you know the "liberals hate the USA, want to destroy it, hate God, hate this 'n that..." I just shake my head and sigh for them. They are either insane, or they are just playing a caricature role on here. Maybe they are a little insane even if just playing a role...wack jobs for sure.
Mar 24, 2018 09:51:10 #
mwalsh wrote:
When they get on that roll that is described in the article, you know the "liberals hate the USA, want to destroy it, hate God, hate this 'n that..." I just shake my head and sigh for them. They are either insane, or they are just playing a caricature role on here. Maybe they are a little insane even if just playing a role...wack jobs for sure.
There are times I can hardly believe what comes out of their keyboards, it sure makes you wonder. Is it the keyboard we should blame or is it the person in front of the keyboard.
Mar 24, 2018 12:32:25 #
Politicians only goal in life is to get elected, get reelected and to make as much money as they can reguardless of political affiliation. They could care less about the people. Follow the money trail.
Mar 24, 2018 12:36:26 #
One Rude Dawg wrote:
Politicians only goal in life is to get elected, get reelected and to make as much money as they can reguardless of political affiliation. They could care less about the people. Follow the money trail.
I have been listening to the kids in the march and let me tell you those crooked politicians my as well pack up their dirty money and go home, better yet leave the country.
Mar 24, 2018 12:37:19 #
Kraken wrote:
There are times I can hardly believe what comes out of their keyboards, it sure makes you wonder. Is it the keyboard we should blame or is it the person in front of the keyboard.
They most likely had an unhappy childhood.
Some, however, are just assholes.
Mar 24, 2018 14:37:52 #
mwalsh wrote:
They are not representative of the majority of conservative minded people...at least on here, they tend to be embarrassing wack jobs...well, at least seven or nine of them are just that.
Just don't forget to mention the wack jobs on the other side of the fence.
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