Note from 2023 when this was recovered: No, I was wrong. Brooks is the pawn of the devil, and he’s not worth listening to.
Loren Webster talks about too many bridges being burnt, and I can identify with this. I am at that point now where I am thinking of burning some bridges, an impulse brought on by reading others’ implications that those of us who don’t share the sound and fury about the ‘reds’ winning, are somehow compromising our beliefs.
Per the Tracy Chapman song Loren quoted:
All the bridges that you burn
Come back one day to haunt you
One day you’ll find you’re walking
Lonely
Scott Hanson pointed to a NY Times editorial by David Brooks very worth reading. I know, I know — Brooks is the pawn of the devil. But he’s also one of the ‘reds’ we should be listening to:
But the same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. If you want to understand why Democrats keep losing elections, just listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are. It makes you wonder: why is it that people who are completely closed-minded talk endlessly about how open-minded they are?
(Here’s another interesting NY Time’s article on this issue, but I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed.)
Looking at the vote counts in the states that passed anti-gay marriage initiatives, to get the numbers they’re getting, they’ve had Democrats vote for this in addition to Republicans. Remember my post, An Actual Conversation? Both of the people featured in this voted for Kerry. Nothing is ever as black and white as it first appears.
I wrote in comments in another weblog that I hope every fear I have about what could happen under Bush doesn’t materialize. I have no greater desire now, than to be proven wrong about all of it, and will do everything in my power to ensure this.
Last post on politics for a while. I think we all need to take a deep breath and give this subject some space. I for one happen to like most of the people on the other side of the bridges I’ve been thinking of putting to the flame; too much so to follow the impulses of the moment. They’ll have to make their own decisions as regards their own fires.