This morning I was watching a segment from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on the grass-roots protests going on at the recent Town Hall meetings that discuss Nationalised Health Care. A simple bing or google search will probably turn up the video; since I’m on the road at the moment I am unable to put a link in this entry for you. How very un-bloglike of me.
When did the Republicans become such lunatics? Now I’m not saying that all Republicans are lunatics, quite the contrary, I know a lot of Republicans that are well-adjusted, proactive members of society that happen to fall slightly to the conserative side of that great divide that seems to get wider and wider through our society. When I was younger I always knew the Republicans to be about fiscal responsiblity and a smaller, less intrusive government whilst perhaps holding onto a more conservative spin to their values. I guess the Republicans I have always known were more the libertarian type. They said "let me do my thing and don’t take too much of my money in the name of taxes."
This is not entirely a bad thing.
Today the Republicans are represented in the media by these crazy Bible-beating people that are obsessed with gay marriage, the fact that we have a black President and a complete disregard and preferred obliteration of those that don’t fall into their very narrow stereotype of what an American should be. To me, this is a very sad thing.
As I said before I know a lot of Republicans. In fact I know quite a few gay Republicans. I don’t see them as Bible beating or bat-shit crazy or terrified of the big Rapture that the extremists have been babbling about for a couple of decades or anything like that. The Republicans I know are the more conservative (as opposed to crazy conservatives) with a live and let live attitude (or possibly, "I don’t get it but it’s none of my business" attitude) that don’t want to turn over 50% of their paycheck to the government and quite frankly would just rather be left alone and not nagged to death by governmental programs that have no hope of succeeding. Am I one of them? No, but I certainly see and accept their point. I don’t expect everyone to jump up and down with glee because I’m an out and proud gay man but I will not tolerate someone that wants to change me or condemn me because of who I am. I get it if they don’t get it but just let it be. I work in that environment everyday. Am I discriminated against because of it? I like to think not but that’s because I refuse to be a victim and be discriminated against. My thought is if you don’t like me for who I am then I’m not going to better your life by contributing to it so I’ll just take my toys and go home.
I think the type of Republicans that I know should be making big strides to take their party back from the crazy people that are gracing the airwaves these days. These huge chasms between the extreme left and extreme right are not the identity of either respective party and quite frankly I believe the U.S. would be a much better place if people would come back to the middle and start "getting it" again.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, I do not identify myself as a Democrat or a Republican. I am a Libertarian through and through and believe in the "live and let live" attitude and demand financial responsibility from our government. I love the United States of America very much and want to see her continue to thrive and be all she was designed to be back in 1776.
We just need to get the loonies under control.
