The Conservative "Are you with us or against us" mentality
Barack Obama's fight with conservatives can be summed up with a quote from Albert Einstein: "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." The prevailing attitude of the vocal conservative movement in this country has been that intelligence is elitism. Barack Obama is called an elitist because he is an ivy league graduate, a former college professor, and supports progressive policies. Ignoring the fact that President George W. Bush holds an MBA from the same ivy-league institution Senator Obama attended, the GOP has labeled Obama as an intellecual elitist who can't possibly know how to govern middle America. What the GOP fails to mention is that Obama came from modest means, and was able to better himself and work his way into the living room of Americans using brains, hard work, and resourcefulness.
In other words, Barack Obama symbolizes the American dream. His story tells any child who has a rough start in life, due to the choices their parents made, can overcome any circumstance and fulfill any dream, no matter how large.
Senator Obama did not have a name like Bush or Kennedy to give him a hand up. He did not marry an heiress to finance his lifestyle and support his family while he ran for office. John W. Dean, former counsel to the President, summed it up by saying,
"Ironically, Obama has done exactly what conservatives preach: pulled himself up to the top by his own hard work, and taken advantages of his God-given gifts. He was not only president (in essence, editor-in-chief) of the prestigious Harvard Law Review – an exceptional accomplishment for any Harvard Law student, but also the first African- American ever to hold the post. Yet this is just one of many distinctions that will be used as evidence of his elitism. "
Is Obama an elitist because he was a lawyer? Are conservative doctors and lawyers elitist as well? These are questions we should ask ourselves and our neighbors - try to provoke thought and challenge these stereotypes as presented by either party.
Failing to question the failures of the most recent conservative President and Congressmen are why the Republican Party is struggling to maintain control of their most historically reliable supporters. Conservative pundits rarely question actions of their representatives in government in public; to do so is to betray the Republican Party. When Kathleen Parker, a well-known conservative columnist, correctly suggested in late September that Sarah Palin should respectfully bow out of the race so as to not be a liability to the McCain campaign because she was not qualified to be president, she recieved over 11,000 e-mails from conservatives that berated her for being a traitor. Christopher Buckley, son of William Buckley, endorsed Obama and had to subsequently resign his post at his late father's conservative magazine - a resignation that was happily accepted.
The most recent public figure that has acknowledged the failures of the Republican party is perhaps the most shocking and the most extreme. Colin Powell, a four-star Republican general and former Secretary of State, was for years billed as a race-neutral public official who could be relied on to legitimize conservative policies because of his wealth of experience and superior intellect. The same thought process that was accepted and respected for years by conservatives is now being dismissed and criticized because he's publicly questioned the Republican campaign strategy, economic policy, and vice-presidential selection and endorsed a Democrat. High visibility conservatives immediately went to the race card - Powell's concise, detailed, and thoughtful endorsement was dismissed as simply one black man supporting another.
Are Parker, Buckley and Powell traitors? Ronald Reagan said "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Perhaps it's ok to see what you see as long as you don't say anything that contradicts the current party talking points. Are they less American today because they've acknowledged the Republican Party is not the same party they've supported and believed in? These public figures have reached across the aisle for what they see as the best direction for their country. Conservative pundits have questioned their patriotism, credibility, and motives for doing so publicly. I'd contend they're exhibiting the type of integrity that our country was founded on. Had early British settlers not questioned their government, America wouldn't be the great nation it is today. It is the appreciation of free thought and honest rebellion that allows America to constantly change into the country it needs to be to allow the best security and quality of life possible for the very citizens that refuse to question it. Does questioning your party make you a traitor or a patriot? Those who have the courage to speak up to those who are hurting our country for political gain knowing they'll be ostracized for doing so are the most patriotic, in my opinion.
In other words, Barack Obama symbolizes the American dream. His story tells any child who has a rough start in life, due to the choices their parents made, can overcome any circumstance and fulfill any dream, no matter how large.
Senator Obama did not have a name like Bush or Kennedy to give him a hand up. He did not marry an heiress to finance his lifestyle and support his family while he ran for office. John W. Dean, former counsel to the President, summed it up by saying,
"Ironically, Obama has done exactly what conservatives preach: pulled himself up to the top by his own hard work, and taken advantages of his God-given gifts. He was not only president (in essence, editor-in-chief) of the prestigious Harvard Law Review – an exceptional accomplishment for any Harvard Law student, but also the first African- American ever to hold the post. Yet this is just one of many distinctions that will be used as evidence of his elitism. "
Is Obama an elitist because he was a lawyer? Are conservative doctors and lawyers elitist as well? These are questions we should ask ourselves and our neighbors - try to provoke thought and challenge these stereotypes as presented by either party.
Failing to question the failures of the most recent conservative President and Congressmen are why the Republican Party is struggling to maintain control of their most historically reliable supporters. Conservative pundits rarely question actions of their representatives in government in public; to do so is to betray the Republican Party. When Kathleen Parker, a well-known conservative columnist, correctly suggested in late September that Sarah Palin should respectfully bow out of the race so as to not be a liability to the McCain campaign because she was not qualified to be president, she recieved over 11,000 e-mails from conservatives that berated her for being a traitor. Christopher Buckley, son of William Buckley, endorsed Obama and had to subsequently resign his post at his late father's conservative magazine - a resignation that was happily accepted.
The most recent public figure that has acknowledged the failures of the Republican party is perhaps the most shocking and the most extreme. Colin Powell, a four-star Republican general and former Secretary of State, was for years billed as a race-neutral public official who could be relied on to legitimize conservative policies because of his wealth of experience and superior intellect. The same thought process that was accepted and respected for years by conservatives is now being dismissed and criticized because he's publicly questioned the Republican campaign strategy, economic policy, and vice-presidential selection and endorsed a Democrat. High visibility conservatives immediately went to the race card - Powell's concise, detailed, and thoughtful endorsement was dismissed as simply one black man supporting another.
Are Parker, Buckley and Powell traitors? Ronald Reagan said "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Perhaps it's ok to see what you see as long as you don't say anything that contradicts the current party talking points. Are they less American today because they've acknowledged the Republican Party is not the same party they've supported and believed in? These public figures have reached across the aisle for what they see as the best direction for their country. Conservative pundits have questioned their patriotism, credibility, and motives for doing so publicly. I'd contend they're exhibiting the type of integrity that our country was founded on. Had early British settlers not questioned their government, America wouldn't be the great nation it is today. It is the appreciation of free thought and honest rebellion that allows America to constantly change into the country it needs to be to allow the best security and quality of life possible for the very citizens that refuse to question it. Does questioning your party make you a traitor or a patriot? Those who have the courage to speak up to those who are hurting our country for political gain knowing they'll be ostracized for doing so are the most patriotic, in my opinion.
posted by HappyMomToThreeKids @ 8:56 PM
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