Update: responses to divisiveness

[tahnan]

I posted earlier this morning about my distaste for divisive rhetoric. Some commenters seemed to think that I was advocating that, in response to that kind of rhetoric on the right, people on the left should "be silent [or] join hands and sing Kumbaya". Thanks to Tablesaw, I can give an example of the right kind of response, which is neither mean-spirited nor silent:

At a defining moment like this, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another. With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support.

There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Virginia and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

We have always been at our best when we've had leadership that called us to look past our differences and come together as one nation, as one people; leadership that rallied this entire country to a common purpose - to a higher purpose. And I am running for President of the United States of America because that is the country we need to be right now.

(TS inadvertantly linked to a speech from two years ago about religion in American politics, which is also fascinating reading, and is also marvelously moderate in its tone.)

Comments

[eyelessgame.livejournal.com]

Yes. And if it weren't for the fact that this was said by a socialist Muslim terrorist who wants to kill babies and opposes prison sentences for murderers, it might even be something Republicans might listen to.

Do you see my problem with believing speeches like his will do any good?

[eyelessgame.livejournal.com]

I love Obama's speeches. They're inspiring. I am convinced he's going to be a great president.

I'm just also convinced that in response to anything he tries to do, they're going to make the Clinton years look like a polite little tea party. But I do very much hope you're right and I'm wrong.

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

I dunno, some Republicans have listened.

Like Colin Powell. And Scott McClellan. And Christopher Buckley. And former Republican governors from Minnesota and, I think Missouri? (There's someone specific I'm thinking of, but can't remember off the top of my head.) Quite a few others.

And there's, thankfully, an awful lot of former two-time Bush voters voting for Obama.

Sure, there's a loud faction of powerful Republicans who aren't listening, and are running a particularly sleazy campaign - but it's _not working_ this time. It turns out that a lot of citizens that are Republicans by inclination are not being whipped up into the fever pitch of panic that some of the right are trying. Some are, but an awful lot of them are rejecting it. Some are going to hold their nose and vote McCain anyway, because they genuinely support his policies more. And some aren't.

I'm happy to welcome all the conservative Americans who are willing to give our guy the chance to show everyone what we see in him. You may not like all of his plans (in fact, I'm sure you don't), but he's a good man, and some of you see that. And that's enough of a common ground that we can build from.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

You know what? You're done. I'm tired of it. I've never banned a non-spammer, but in all seriousness, if you can't be civil, you can't post here.

[jydog1.livejournal.com]

re: eyelessgame: Is . . . is that a serious statement? That's not over the top sarcasm?

He's kidding, right?

[cazique.livejournal.com]

His reply makes me think so. Is Tahnan talking to him in the post above yours?

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

He's kidding, in that he doesn't believe those things about Obama. He's serious in suggesting that Republicans will reject out of hand anything Obama says because they think of him as etc.

The latter premise, when expressed a little more calmly, is one I still disagree with. Yes, utter wingnuts won't listen to Obama when he talks rationally; they also won't respond particularly well to the kind of divisiveness I was criticizing originally. It's the reasonable people I'm thinking about, and I believe that most Republicans are reasonable people who (a) don't think those things about Obama and (b) will respond well to his calm discussion, but poorly to partisan venom.