It has been suggested once again, in candid and indelicate terms, that those of us who dare to place an "R" behind our names are not wanted here (thereby inadvertently bestowing upon Bill-O a certain measure of credibility; how's that for a Pyrrhic victory?). And this, in a recommended thread.
I am advised that I am "evil and hateful." An implacable enemy. That my ideals will destroy America, and my beliefs about America are "unAmerican."
The funniest part of this is that I have also been tarred and feathered by elements of my own Party for daring to question the imperial invasion of Iraq, the functional pardon of Scooter Libby, the packing of courts and local U.S. Attorneys' offices, and a host of often-comical Republican ethics scandals requiring at least a week's worth of diaries to even mention. I can't please anyone! It seems I'm just not loyal enough.
It has been asked, "why do you trust the good intentions of any conservative or Republican alive today? They will always fuck you over for their political gain." From my perspective and in light of my life experience, all that says to me is that these evil Republican Svengalis behave like Democrats. And I might ask you, 'How does it feel to be accused of being what you claim to loathe?'
In all candor, I can identify with the anger expressed here. If you have ever been on the business end of political corruption, and the source of that corruption is Republicans, you naturally tend to develop a prejudice toward Republicans. In my case, the criminals were Democrats ... and their very own "Seedy Gonzales" refused to prosecute the crime for political reasons. And if you have suffered oppression because you simply got in the way of public officials' irrepressible ambitions, you have every right to be furious. But has the enmity reached such levels that we can no longer even talk?
If it is unfair for me to paint you with a broad brush, is it not equally unfair for you to paint us with it? Can I never trust a Democrat again? We all want the same thing: a fair chance to make a decent life for our families, and to live in peace, honor, and dignity. These rights have been wrongfully taken from me by Democrats, and I suppose that I would have every moral right to behave like the scorpion in the fable. But it is not in my nature to do so, or I would have already acted in accordance with it.
I believe that we have common ground and a mutual interest that overshadows our disagreements as to how to achieve that interest. But I have been known to be mistaken before.