Let me get "real" fer a minute. The Republican convention has me down, a little bit.
What has been surprising to me about the Republican convention is not that it has been well organized. I'm not surprised that they've somehow managed to paint McCain as a man of impeccable character. I'm not surprised that they've had speakers who are charming, funny, and persuasive. I'm not surprised that Palin gave a good speech (it was misleading, but it was well-written and expertly delivered). I'm not surprised that the participants are enthusiastic, or that the Republican base has been rallied, or that McCain's campaign has been energized.
(And by the way, none of us should be surprised by the bounce in the polls that McCain will enjoy.)
What surprises me about the Republican convention is the hate.
It honestly shocks me.
I should know better, right? I mean, you only need to listen to Rush Limbaugh for about five minutes to know that conservatives hate liberals.
But we throw this word "hate" around, and we don't really mean hate. Ultra-conservatives are mostly kidding when they say they hate us, and we are kidding when we say we hate them, right? After all, we're all Americans, and in the end we're united by the fact that we all love this country. We don't really hate each other, we just get frustrated at our policy differences.
Ummm NO, the Republicans actually hate us. They believe that there is good and evil in the world; evil is real and must be confronted boldly. Tonight I put it together: what they mean by "good" is themselves, and what they mean by "evil" is us.
Here's what I've taken from the Republican convention so far, from the speeches of Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin and whoever else...
There is nothing wrong with this country except for liberalism.
Liberalism is on par with terrorism. We liberals are trying to destroy their families, steal their money, boss them around, take away their guns, and basically undermine all that is good about America. We look down on small towns, disrespect farmers, control the media, govern by focus groups, deny the existence of Islamic extremists, seek to kill our own troops by refusing to fund them, and we're anti-God. We are sexists when they have a female candidate (but when they don't have a female candidate, then we're too politically correct).
Somehow, after eight disastrous years of George Bush, most of those years with a Republican controlled congress, the Republicans have determined that the only prescription for what ails this country is to rid Washington of liberals. Liberals like that spineless Harry Reid.
The failing economy is our fault. The foreclosure crisis is our fault. A Republican president refusing to veto earmarks from Republican senators is our fault.
The second night of the Republican convention, Joe Lieberman reached out to Democrats and Independents, and suggested we had a place in McCain's campaign. That was a nice sentiment, but it's hard to swallow in light of every other person I heard speak.
To me, Obama's message of unity and bipartisanship is much more credible than McCain's.
Here is the difference, I guess:
In the Democratic convention, the speakers attacked failed policies. They discussed problems our country is facing. They outlined solutions. They said McCain is a good man -- refusing to attack his character -- and focused instead on their policy differences with McCain.
In the Republican convention, the speakers attacked Democrats. They maligned Obama's supporters ("devotees"). They attacked our candidate's character again and again, suggesting his motives for wanting to be president are bad. They made blanket statements about "liberalism" without ever discussing actual policy differences. It's not just that they have different views of how to solve America's problems; they think we are America's problem.
They took no responsibility for the economic, foreign policy, & environmental melt-downs our country is facing, even though they're the ones who have been in power. They ridiculed our candidate for lacking substance, ignoring or mis-representing his extensive policy positions (which are much more detailed than McCain's).
(When they did discuss policy, it was, interestingly, only popular Democratic policies that they've conveniently co-opted just in time for this election. Since when has the Republican party been green? Since when have they wanted a revolution in how we produce energy? Since when have they been champions for women? Since when have they been pro-union? Since when have they been advocates for children with special needs? Since when have they hated the old boy's network? They ARE the frickin old boy's network.)
In a word, what I've seen at the Republican convention so far is HATE. With a heaping dose of cynicism. Plus a sprinkling of scapegoating. All piled on top of apple pie.
The Republican party's base is ecstatic. This is what they've been waiting for. This was delicious. Finally a chance to shift the blame for this country's ills where the blame belongs: on liberals.
And you know what? Gotta be honest. Seeing that hatred hurt a little bit. It was so viscous, so mean-spirited, and so deep-rooted. The Republicans could actually win this election -- with their energized base and bla bla bla -- and if they DO win, my country will be led by people who despise me.
It will be led by people who think I'm as bad as a terrorist. They believe I'm trying to destroy their families. They think I'm too stupid to support a candidate because of his policy positions. They have no intention of understanding my point of view or listening to my concerns; they already know what is right and wrong, and they already know that anything I have to say is wrong.
I'm a proud Democrat and a proud liberal, but I try not to be TOO partisan. I've always believed that there are no red states or blue states, but just the United States of America -- that we're all one people. Most of my family members are Republicans, and I love them dearly (even when they call to gloat about how awesome Sarah Palin is).
So I won't say that I hate Republicans... but... you know what?
Sometimes, Republicans frickin suck.