Left-Overs (But No Pie)

The News Hour had a great segment on the polarization of American politics this past Wednesday evening (11/21/2007). Here’s one especially pertinent quote:

RAY SUAREZ: Well, has compromise been defined as surrender, Cal Thomas?

CAL THOMAS: It has, in many aspects. Look at the Joe Lieberman race. Here was a man who was the vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. He was 100 percent with his party on every issue, except the war.

MoveOn.org and some of the other far-left organizations moved in to Connecticut with great money and volunteers and painted him as a traitor. They used a video of him embracing President Bush after a State of the Union speech and treated it like Judas Iscariot in the Garden of Gethsemane, betraying Jesus. This is the kind of level of vitriol and hatred that is in our politics.

As Bob Beckel, my co-author, and I move around the country, and we speak together to mixed audiences, we find a tremendous revulsion against this attitude of demeaning our fellow Americans and also a tremendous ocean of goodwill for people who will reach out to somebody on the other political side to actually solve the problems.

Most people don't get up in America in the morning and shout to their neighbor of another party, "Hey, you left-wing, commie pinko, what are you going to do to ruin America today?" And the response is, "You right-wing, fascist, Bible-thumper, what are you going to do to ruin America today?" That's not the real America.

I’m revolted by this attitude, as well. You may think that’s a somewhat hypocritical statement coming from a guy who routinely uses the term “moonbat” to describe (some) members of the Loyal Opposition, “Silky Pony” to describe John Edwards, and other such disparaging terms. But careful reading of my scribblings reveals I only use such terms to describe the most whacked-out individuals and organizations on the Far Left…such as those harridans from Code Pink…not mainstream Democrats.

I also tend to be very disparaging when I reference the fever-swamp blogs, like the logorrheic Maha, Jane “Blackface” Hamsher, Markos “Screw ‘em” Moulitsas, and the profanity-laden Shakespeare’s Sister. Each and every one of my examples specialize in demonizing the right: we’re not just wrong, we’re eeeevil. These guys also have yet another annoying tendency…that of “eating their own.” The classic example? Joe Lieberman. And there are more, many more. You don’t deviate from the Party Line in those circles…not if you want to maintain your standing as a card-carrying “progressive.” But I digress…yet again.

And the Right can be just as bad. It’s not that there aren’t sites on the right similar in tone to the Leftie examples I’ve cited—there certainly are. But I usually don’t read those guys either, primarily because I absolutely, positively disagree with the tone at those places…particularly in their comments sections. Much the same way I disagree with Ann Coulter. I (generally) don’t take issue with what these people actually say, it’s the way they say it. As Mom said: “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

Anyhoo. I encourage you to read the whole transcript of that News Hour segment. The basic point being made is we’re not even close to solving our issues…as a country…until such time as we can talk to one another in a calm, rational manner… without all the name-calling and brickbats.

Your Don Quixote Moment for today… Everyone knows today is “Black Friday,” but didja know today is also “Buy Nothing Day”? S’true. Talk about pissing into the wind! I’m tempted to go out, brush the snow off the car, head straight to Wally-World and buy something…anything. That snow thing is all that’s stopping me. But it’s enough, so I suppose I’ll be an unwilling participant in this “event.”

Ah! But on the other hand…one word: Amazon! (Psst: If you wanna buy me something for Christmas, my wish list is here.)

Hey Phlegmmy! I thought you went to Arkansas for Thanksgiving? What are you doing in New Yawk? Or is this your Evil Twin? I see she had to be restrained…

(Photo: NYT. Article here.)

Department of Recurring Bitches and Moans… The WX Channel has been MIA for nearly 24 hours now here in P-Ville. I frickin’ hate Comcast Cable. And yeah, “hate” is an accurate term― no hyperbole here. None at ALL.

Today’s Pic: Another one of the 60 photos I took of last Tuesday’s sunset. This time it’s looking NNE towards P-Ville and features ENMU’s low-profile athletic center (it’s kinda-sorta built into the ground), the skyline dominating presence of the city’s largest ag-elevator (for the peanuts!) and an absolutely amazing collection of power poles…all bathed in the pink pastel light of the late sunset. Right outside my door...which would be the back-door, in this case.

Ain’t it purdy?