I can already tell, that this will be one of my favorite blog posts in a while.
I have a very close friend, someone who I really like and get along with, but who has the exact opposite political beliefs as me. I think he is incredibly insane for being a Republican and supporting Bush, and he think I am incredibly insane for thinking Bush is the worst president in the history of the United States....which he is.
We will call my friend WAYR (why are you reuplican?). I am not going to name my friend, simply because I havn't told him I was going to write this blog, although he has posted on some of my past political blogs and is never too shy about it. WAYR and myself get along extremely well when we play softball together, when we go eat Wendy's together and talk about creating movies together, and all that other stuff normal friends do together.... but here we are on the opposite spectrums of political beliefs.
In case you did not know my views, I am so far to the left you can barely see me. I will be voting democrat this year, although I feel that green or independant parties align with my view far more often then any democrats.
WAYR and myself do not neccessarily go out of our way to argue about our beliefs or cause each other harm, but topics do arise and we are both very steadfast in our beliefs. I am sure many of our surrounding friends are annoyed by our verbal scwabbles when it comes to these topics (in fact I am positive).
Keep in mind, I really value WAYR's friendship, I think he is a really awesome guy. And yet I sit here knowing, or at least assuming that WAYR is still supporting the Republican ticket and will vote McCain in the upcoming election.....
and I think that is damn sad.
a vote for McCain is a vote for killing more innocent US and foriegn citizens in an unjust war.
I look forward to WAYR's response.
10 comments:
yikes. i think we all have friends like this and it can be verrry trying. but i suppose it goes both ways. but then again, not exactly, since us lefties are correct in our judgment. anyway, the first thought i had when i began reading was "your friend is a republican? that's too bad." but when you said he's a republican and actually defends bush, i thought, "now this is a rare breed, indeed. that's about as sad as it can get." i didn't even think republicans were still defending bush anymore. *sigh*
When I saw the title of this post I automatically thought it was about me (you know, being the self-centered Republican that I am) but then I realized who it was really about.
I must say that despite our complete difference in views when it comes to politics, its still always fun to swing by here and read your liberal bias (just kidding).
Nice work as always and I look forward to hopefully debating politics sometime soon!
McCain '08!
actually matt its funny, because we havnt actually done much conversing ourselves about politics. I know your views and you know mine, but we havnt had any verbal pissing matches or anything like that.....yet.
So, you are seriously going to vote for McCain in 08? May I ask why?
Secondly, since i dont know, do you still support bush and his presidency, or do you feel like your vote in 04' has been shoved up your brown hole?
By the way, ive been meaning to add your blog to mine. Do you still update or plan to update the diamond cutter? Or is there a blog of yours that I am missing?
Sweet, you wrote a blog about me. Ha, it's funny, because I had no idea until I saw your MySpace bulletin about it. I have to say it is a nice surprise.
I'll try to keep this short, but you know me =)
First I'll address Jess H and her ignorant comments ... William never said I "defend Bush". He simply stated that he thinks I am insane for being a Republican and for supporting Bush. Yes, I did vote for Bush in 2000 and again in 2004. When comparing Bush to Gore and then later on Bush to Kerry, ideologically I align a lot more with Bush than either Gore or Kerry. Does this mean I defend Bush in everything he does? Hell no. Has he made mistakes? Of course he has. But unlike you (I hate to make assumptions but this is probably a pretty accurate one, giving the nature of your comments), I don't have knee-jerk reactions to everything, and I'm not a hate-mongering ideologue who can't see 3 feet in front of me.
Anyways, back to William's points. William (I never call you that, but that's how people on here know you as, so we'll leave it at that), you bring up a lot of good points when discussing politics, but the fact that you admit to being "so far left you can't even see you" doesn't necessarily help your cause. Anytime someone is a radical it just makes their arguments less valid because they fail to see the other side or at least even make an attempt to. I'm conservative but I'm nowhere near being on the far right. I'd say I'm right of center.
As of right now, yes I will more than likely being voting for McCain in November. That doesn't mean I agree with everything he stands for. It's funny though because he's actually a fairly liberal Republican. Have you even paid attention to Hillary or Obama's foreign policy plans (if that's what you call them?) Hillary supported this war in the beginning (regardless of what she says), and then vowed to end the war on Day 1 as President, and now her deal is she wants to end it within 2 months or something. For starters, I won't vote for anyone who changes their mind on a dime, especially when it comes to something as important as the war. Second, I won't vote for anyone who will completely disregard the commanders on the ground when making wartime decisions. Third, I won't vote for anyone (Obama) who admittedly will start talking with terrorists at any time (Ahmadinejad, for example). I'm all for diplomacy, but I don't think Ahadinejad is worthy of the President's time.
Look, I've never been all out for this war. It was poorly planned and not executed to the best degree, and our focus should have been on Bin Laden before any attention was given to Iraq. However, you can't rewind the clock. Would you rather have Obama, who has the least experience out of anyone, leading this war, or McCain, who is a war hero and has more experience than Obama and Hillary put together? Obama just wants to end it and disregard the possible reprocussions, while McCain is more of a realist about the situation. He wants to end this war just as much as obama, but he's not going to be stupid about it.
I realize there are other issues than just the war. In fact, unlike you (correct me if I'm wrong, I don't to falsely label you, but you do admit to being far left), I actually make an effort to see the other side and in fact agree with a lot of things liberals typically defend. For example, I'm against the death penalty and always will be. I also believe in same-sex marriage. Additionally, I am glad to see Clinton and Obama wanting to improve our health-care system, although I don't agree with how they are trying to do it. I'm definitely against Michael Moore's idea of a government-run health care system. I'm glad neither of the two Democratic candidates have adopted his ideas. I would love to see the health care system changed as far as availability and cost, but I don't want the government having most of the control when it comes to myself, especially having a chronic illness.
I find it ironic that so many young, individual/artsy/unique/free-spirited/whatever people our age are anti-Republican either because that's what they truly believe or they feel that's what young people are supposed to believe. Either way, a lot of lefties fail to realize that Democrats tend to be for bigger government, which kind of contradicts that whole free-spirited/I'm-my-own-person thing. I don't know about you, but the more the government is involved in my life, the worse. I don't like high taxes and countless programs that end up costing a ton of money. In general, I tend to agree with the party that is for smaller government and less spending.
One other quick thing that annoys me is people blaming Bush for everything. The President has become a scapegoat for so many issues it's actually become quite annoying. From the Global Warming fad (yes, I think it's a fad) to Hurricane Katrina to high gas prices to whatever else people want to blame Bush for, some people should really take a moment to listen to how ridiculous they sound and realize the President isn't always the only one to blame. With that being said, Bush is far from perfect.
Now I just feel like I'm rambling. Anyways, as always it's been a pleasure disagreeing with you (haha), but I hope you truly don't believe it is "damn sad" that I'm leaning toward McCain. At least I make an effort and don't vote based off of ignorance or hate. I can't say the same for everyone in this country.
Oh, and to end it, things would be a lot better (I think) if we didn't have the two-party system. For the record, I'm not a registered Republican.
Wow, Brian pretty much took everything I wanted to talk about and addressed it (we actually agree on just about everything except capital punishment - I am very for it).
But regarding your comment William, you are right, we really haven't ever had a "verbal pissing match" yet. But that day shall come...
Personally I am voting for McCain this upcoming election. Like Brian, I don't agree on everything McCain stands for. I don't like his immigration policy views as I feel they are too loose, I am for using water boarding on terrorists (I know there is a grey area here with the Geneva convention but I don't consider terrorists to be soldiers so I think its acceptable), and I am for gay marriages. And without writing a book about McCain on here (I agree with just about everything except the above mentioned items), I will just say that I believe he is the best suited to lead our country. Obama doesn't have the experience or a plan (people seem to like him simply because he's new) and Hillary is a liar and doesn't have a real plan.
As far as Bush's reign as President, I again like Brian, can't defend everything he's done. Hell, anyone who tries doesn't have a chance. While he AND his administration didn't handle the whole Iraq situation very well, he has done some good things for this country. For example his initial handling after 9/11 was well done as I believe if Kerry was President he would have done nothing. And that my friend would have been a vote shoved up my "brown hole."
I am a Republican because that is the side my views line up with. If you were to do the old Pepsi vs. Coke blind taste test with the two sides, I would choose the refreshing taste of Pepsi (Republican) every time because that is where my views and beliefs line up.
Also, yes I am still going to be writing "The Diamond Cutter" site. I have neglected it lately since I have been writing about baseball professional for a company but I should get back soon. Plus I am toying with the idea of writing a personal blog much like yours. Not like my old "Jackass" one as that took too much of my soul away.
So let me ask you William, what about "your" candidates do you like?
(PS I hope all this made sense as I wrote it pretty early in the morning)
Brian (WAYR)
You did not dissapoint me, with your reply.
Your point about labeling myself "so far left" is a good one. I guess I am exaggerating a bit to emphasize our differences. I have also noticed, especially publisizing my views like this, i turn away people who may be very cool people or former friends but now are offended because of my anti-republican post.
I must admit, that again I do understand all (or most) of your logic and reasoning. However, the more i learn about republican leaders, people in power and the corruption and lying that seems to underly everything they do makes me very angry. The Carlyle Group, Haliburton, Telecom, Enron etc. The spin offs of these Bush related companies are currently flooding money into McCain's pocket to support his candidacy in return for whatever backhanded favors he will provide them if he wins the presidency. These are the types of relationships that bother me....
I know what you will say Brian... "you don't think this happens with the democrats, or anyone that will run for presidency?" and obviously I know that. Politics is all about who can help who.
I do laugh at your "dont blame bush" frame of mind. You do not take the presidency without expecting to take the blame for YOUR ENTIRE COUNTRY. I am pretty sure Bush was fully prepared to take the blame for anything happening during his presidency, and I dont see why you need to reflect any of the blame the SHOULD be placed on our president. He's not the garbage man, or a lawyer....he's the president of the united states. Damn right he should be blamed.
Matt, I also love hearing from you about these issues. I know how outspoken you can be, and I'm glad to bring up dialogue with you as well.
I completely disagree with you about the death penalty, torture and the like. Some of the same views I completely disagree with John McCain on in fact.
As for your comments about my candidates. When I sit down to think about politics, I feel like I do not have a candidate that stands for me or aligns even close with my views. Granted, I think OBama is by far the best candidate, based on the integrity he has run his current campaigns, his stance against the war in Iraq, his stance against torture, his willingness to have dialogue with other leaders (no matter how much you dislike or disagree with them, its best to talk and understand them). OBama's statement about the temporary gas drop was right on the money, its a temporary political fix which does nothing, and I think if he is willing to take an unpopular stance on important issues like the war, gas rebates, health care, hated world leaders, then he has the guts and courage to be the president.
I have a lot of confidence in his leadership. I think he has good morals, unlike McCain or Bush.
Hillary Clinton I am hoping to avoid talking about. Altogether.
So Brian, Why aren't you registered?
William,
Don't worry about turning away people. We disagree on most things politically but I'm not going to let that affect our friendship. Most of my friends who I went to college with (at a very liberal college) are left-leaning, as is most of my family.
Haha, you hit it on the money when you said "I know what you will say Brian... 'you don't think this happens with the democrats, or anyone that will run for presidency?' and obviously I know that. Politics is all about who can help who." I agree, there is a ton of corruption in politics. Hell, there's a ton of corruption everywhere in life. At the office, for example. I see it here all the time. We're all human. That's not an excuse for corruption, but it's part of an explanation. We can't put our political leaders above us. That actually reminds me of a point George Carlin used to make - there are so many people out there who whine about politicians and blame them for everything, yet none of these people make an effort to step up and try to run for office themselves.
I never said the President shouldn't be prepared for blame, I just said it's annoying when people use him as a scapegoat and blame him for everything. So you really think Bush should be blamed for everything that happens in "his entire country"? Were the tornadoes in Hugo his fault? If not, why not? How about the 35w bridge? Surely that was his fault. God forbid any lefties give him credit for when something GOOD happens. At that point all blame goes away from Bushy.
Regarding Obama, if you're going to talk about Bush being associated with corrupt people like Kenneth Lay, then don't forget to bring up Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former paster (for TWENTY years). You think his anti-American anti-Caucasian comments just came out of nowhere? I doubt it. I'm not trying to say Obama shares the same sentiment, but if you're going to play the guilty by association game, I can play too.
I'd have to disagree with your statement "I think OBama is by far the best candidate, based on the integrity he has run his current campaigns, his stance against the war in Iraq, his stance against torture, his willingness to have dialogue with other leaders (no matter how much you dislike or disagree with them, its best to talk and understand them)". It's one thing to talk to state-sponsored terrorists, but to talk to them with no pre-conditions is insane. What exactly do you want to understand about them? Why they don't let their people vote? Why, if they do get a chance to vote, a gun is held to their head? Why Cuban citizens FINALLY are free to use fricken' cell-phones?
I also find this comment interesting: "OBama's statement about the temporary gas drop was right on the money, its a temporary political fix which does nothing, and I think if he is willing to take an unpopular stance on important issues like the war, gas rebates, health care, hated world leaders, then he has the guts and courage to be the president." You actually described George Bush more than Barrack Obama. If anyone takes unpopular stances, it's Bush.
I think Obama has good morals too, and to be honest I think it would be a great thing for this country to have a black president (or a woman). I just don't think either of the two Democratic candidates are the best options, at this point.
Will you vote for Hillary, if she wins the nomination (not likely though)?
Also, I believe Ralph Nader is still running. If he's on the ticket, why not vote for him? He's anti-war and he was for a universal health care system before Clinton or Obama were.
I am registered to vote. I'm just not a registered Republican.
See you tonight!
I have actually listened and watched some of Jerimiah Wrights unedited speeches, and although he is extreme, I value his opinion. The anti-american statements he makes seem to be devices for attention, to get people to listen to the other things he says. I actually find him a unique and refreshing point of view, although I wouldn't join his chruch nor follow his leadership. I don't hold O'Bama in any ill light because of it, and it in fact his past with Jeremiah Wright strengthens my view of him.
I would vote for Clinton long before I voted for McCain, but her views, and the way she has run her campaign has soured me on her.
I would not contribute money to any candidate except for maybe Ralph Nader. Because, as you mention, he is closer to my political viewpoints. Although, with the two party system....which i also hate, I feel voting for a third party is a waste of my vote. It would be like picking the Saint Paul Saint to win the World Series. It doesnt even seem like the same league.
The comment that Bush takes more unpopular views on subjects like gas, taxes, health care, world leaders than Barrack O Bama may be a sound argument, but I feel O'Bama is making the unpopular but morally sound decisions. Bush seems to decide on those issues depending how it will pad his pockets or give him power, while O Bama seems to generally care for the people of this country.
That's just how I see.
Bush is selfish and greedy.
And OBama (might also be selfish and greedy) but his decisions are moralistic and effect amnkind positively.
By the way, asking terrorists...
"Why they don't let their people vote? Why, if they do get a chance to vote, a gun is held to their head? Why Cuban citizens FINALLY are free to use fricken' cell-phones?"
Is a good place to start. Better than nothing.
i think if one believes in democracy we must realize that it takes more than going to the polls once and while to maintain it. whatever your political ideas i think we all need to be willing to live out our beliefs. not just because (in my opinion) its morally correct to do so but also because there are so many powers that the American government listens too before it actually listens to the people. if you believe that the "We the people" actually meant people like us, then you must work to put the power back into your hands and out of the hands of the wealthy "interests' and corporations which are really at the helm of the state (mind you i said the state, not just the republican party).
i think that if we want to see the change that we hope our votes will produce we will have to sacrifice, invest, and labor for them ourselves on the grassroots level. while this may seem idealistic, i think that one of the reasons we think its is is because we have been told to wait for a hero to ride in on his white horse (or on the ballot box) and solve all our problems for us. i think this hero mentality is one of the greatest lies that the state would have us believe.
also i think its fantastic that two people that passionately disagree with one another can talk about stuff openly and publicly with out being A-holes to each other. very rare indeed.
WE ALL NEED TO HANG OUT SOMETIME! HOLLA BACK! 9522120194
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