All this talk about "Christ" in "Christmas" and other useless distractions (I am waiting for the satyrical "Let's put the 'New' back in 'New Year's Eve') is just that: a distraction with what is fundamentally wrong with the progressive agenda.
We need to put the "US" back in USA. That is, we need to be a part of how things happen, not apart from what is happening.
All this "Red State" - "Blue State" dichotomy removes "us" from the entirety of what this country ought to be: a place where we make proposals, engage in honest and frank debate, compromise, and then act. By removing ourselves from the equation (throwing up our hands saying "they won't listen") we cause harm to ourselves, our principles and the country overall.
It is easy to lay the blame for our economic woes, our foreign policy of war first, ask questions later, our policies of environmental degradation (and on and on and on) at the feet of Bush, neocons, Republicans etc. It is difficult to look in the mirror and realize that what we see happening in this country is what we have asked for.
Through smugness, complacency, laziness, perhaps through improper political strategy, poor choice of issues, leaders - who can really say - we have not convinced enough people that a progressive agenda will be better for our country and for our world that the terrible path we now find ourselves marching down.
This is not the time to leave. This is not the time to point fingers at fellow citizens and blame them for voting in a particular way, or for living in a particular state. It is time for inclusion, discussion and healing.
Now, more than ever, a progressive voice must be heard. The USA needs us. We need to talk, we need to be clear, offer actionable solutions to problems that face us and stop putting up this mightier than thou, self-righteous wall around ourselves.
</rant>
I thank my dog Buddy for begging me to take him on a walk this afternoon when these thoughts crossed my mind.