I would like to put in a word for conservatives. A friend of ours was one of Romney’s advisers, part of his team. He doesn’t like Obama or his administration, he thinks the ACA was a mistake. He remains surprised that Romney lost. He is loyal to his party. But you know what? He accepts climate change as real, and thinks more should be done about it. He knows that growing inequality is a threat to the nation. He wants to see more people have health insurance. He doesn’t think the poor are moochers or that a social safety is the same thing as socialism, or that Obama is a socialist. He thinks we have to talk to the bad guys sometimes, and that force is not the only answer. He doesn’t own a gun, does not think that the Second Amendment is under threat, nor is he an evangelical or narrow in his religious opinions. He thinks the Tea Party crowd are loonies. He knows that the real politics, the real government, goes on behind the scenes. That what we all see is theater meant to distract us, and we suffer too much from electing people who think political theater is actually governance. He is pragmatic, and so he throws up his hands in despair over what has become of his party, and hopes it recovers. I like talking to him. I respect him. I don’t always agree with him, often don’t, but he reminds me that the “conservatives” and “libertarians” who spout off in public forums like this do not represent the only, or even the most common way to be Republican. He reminds me that the GOP’s worst enemies are some of its most fervent supporters, for they prevent it from operating, and make it look ridiculous or dangerous.
I would like to put in a word for conservatives. A friend of ours was one of Romney’s advisers, part of his team. He doesn’t like Obama or his administration, he thinks the ACA was a mistake. He remains surprised that Romney lost. He is loyal to his party. But you know what? He accepts climate change as real, and thinks more should be done about it. He knows that growing inequality is a threat to the nation. He wants to see more people have health insurance. He doesn’t think the poor are moochers or that a social safety is the same thing as socialism, or that Obama is a socialist. He thinks we have to talk to the bad guys sometimes, and that force is not the only answer. He doesn’t own a gun, does not think that the Second Amendment is under threat, nor is he an evangelical or narrow in his religious opinions. He thinks the Tea Party crowd are loonies. He knows that the real politics, the real government, goes on behind the scenes. That what we all see is theater meant to distract us, and we suffer too much from electing people who think political theater is actually governance. He is pragmatic, and so he throws up his hands in despair over what has become of his party, and hopes it recovers. I like talking to him. I respect him. I don’t always agree with him, often don’t, but he reminds me that the “conservatives” and “libertarians” who spout off in public forums like this do not represent the only, or even the most common way to be Republican. He reminds me that the GOP’s worst enemies are some of its most fervent supporters, for they prevent it from operating, and make it look ridiculous or dangerous.