In the late 1990s, I cut all ties with the Republican and Libertarian parties citing irreconcilable differences in party direction. When I permanently moved here in 1991, I naively thought all you had to be was the hardest-working, best possible you and the nation would filter you upwards and, for a short time until you could get back on your feet, catch you when you fell down. A brown-skinned, gun-rights-respecting, libertarian-Republican and female punk of a science-tech geek with an ACLU bumper sticker and gay friends was not frowned upon in those days by members of the party. Sure, the blue-haired old ladies at the Republican primaries and local party meetings thought me strange, but treated me as one of their own when I opened my mouth and discussed policy with them. No one spoke of abortion and homosexuals or labeled whole populations of people as “godless,” “towelheads,” or “baby killers” back then.
By 2000, “as the party got into bed with evangelicals who believed in the Constitution second, the Bible first (their religious leaders interpretation of the Bible anyway)” and Republican-Libertarian issues were warped into a very post-modern and dissonant mixture of fiscal self-centeredness and anti-intellectual “family values,” it was time for goodbye. The natural culmination of everything that ensued since then – W as president, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, anti-Muslim sentiment, media frenzy, post-Katrina bungling, ideology over dialogue, soundbites trouncing critical thinking, the downward spiral of the economy – occurred for me last week when a young, educated lawyer openly asked me if I was voting for the terrorist. He meant Barack Hussein Obama and he wasn’t joking. That right there is what’s been wrong with this country for the past decade.
Fixing it is what I hope president-elect Obama means when he asks us to “join in the work of remaking this nation.” There are broken, hate-filled people in America. But, I believe that there are a lot more good and decent people who form the bedrock of this nation. It is my hope that the election of Barack Obama provides us with an opportunity to look away from the dark side and interact with each other knowing that difference of opinion can be met with respect and peace.
