Originally published on June 13, 2009 at Yo Mama For Obama
You can't win for losing. In order for good things to happen, we all must first acknowledge that the capacity for good exists. That is not an option for many people in our world who have negative outlooks and will never, ever change their take.
I publish some of my posts on Daily KOS and the comments from "Lefties" are rife with negativity — on everything. They just tear down everything in one fell swoop; they allow no room for a somewhat rosier outlook or even consideration of a partial solution to our many problems. President Obama usually takes the fire first hand, no matter what the topic or policy is.
This negativity is also embraced by the Republicans, conservatives, right-wingers, whatever you choose to call them. In the midst of an economic meltdown, a war on ethics, environmental disaster in the making, international nuclear proliferation on the verge of unthinkable explosion, continued global terrorism and our very own homegrown war of hate here in America (How’s that for negativity?), the GOP has sat pat, offered no new ideas or solutions to these problems and then had the gall to criticize our President for any successes he may have accomplished. For them to label the President a "Socialist" but not combine that attack with any answers of their own is self-defeatist and void of any positive outcome. Regarding President Obama’s economic policies, which have given our financial institutions a "save" from the brink of disaster, Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post writes :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
The right and the left can only tear down; they are incapable of building up. The outcome is that the people they were elected to represent get squat, all for the sake of destruction, rather than construction.
Within a larger context, moving from constant criticism of policy to hate in general, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Krugman’s premise of hate bubbling to the surface in America is what really scares me. Remember: the Nazis came into power in the 1920’s and 1930’s as a result of economic hardship. Their extreme hatred, which translated into the slaughter of millions and millions of people, was a response to the helplessness and hopelessness sweeping their country. So the Nazis, embracing their hatred as a cure-all for their misery, lashed out at a group of people who they thought were responsible for all of the negative circumstances.
The Nazis’ premise of misguided blame stemmed from a depressed economy, fueled by the need for social retribution and spread far and wide to create scapegoating and murder. I fear that continued negativity coupled with hard times is an incubator for hate crimes, turmoil and social unrest. The Conservatives and the Lefties are walking a very dangerous line by dwelling on only the bad things and not recognizing when and where progress has been made. On a deeper level, our country must act swiftly, decisively and harshly against any hate crime, such as those based on race, religion and sexual orientation. It is time to raise the standard for decent behavior, and back that up by setting the example by punishing those people who carry out such heinous crimes.
What do you think is going on in Iran today, even as we speak? Yup: they are following an example of positivity, of hope. They are holding national elections for their top civilian post. The incumbent, Ahmadinejad, looks like he might have to cede power to Mousavi. Keep in mind though, that there are four candidates in the running, so that a run-off looks probable. At any rate, what the Iranians want is what we have: hope in the face of change. President Obama, against all the odds that are stacked against him, has maintained that positive outlook, that constructive position, that underlying approach that embodies rewards, results and effectiveness. Can sanity be infecting the world? Progress, whether it be political, economic or social, is contagious. Is it not more beneficial to have a positive outlook than an overriding negative mindset?
Mind you, I am not that naive that I believe looking at the world through rose colored glasses is the answer. Certainly not: solutions to issues must be prefaced by plain old hard work, innovation and the willingness to take risks. The GOP has so far been unable to muster up enough guts to partake in these three necessities for progress. Unfortunately, this behavior (or lack thereof) has not only created an ideological vacuum, but also has fertilized the ground for extremist behavior to succeed. This is not playing politics; it has turned into murder and mayhem.
I encourage each individual, each community, each society, each nation, to recognize accomplishments that are on the side of moderation, to give our President a chance to get the work done. His intentions are honorable, and even a partial success in various areas is a victory for all of us. What WILL NOT work, and certainly WILL prevent, the promotion of our general well-being is the constant attention given to the negative side of things. Negativity fosters negativity, which in turn, breeds plain old hatred.