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Thursday, August 18, 2005

Thoughts On The "Big Tent" 

UPDATE: The comments on Scott's post are trememdously disappointing to me to read. The best that the Republicans can come up with is to just call people who disagree with them moonbats, refer them to partisan Web sites and move on. Therein lies the problem - there's just no room for debate.

Scott Randolph has a post up today about deciding to become a Republican after watching Cindy Sheehan on CNN this morning. An excerpt:
Then it happend. The good little democrat in me tied the little noose around his neck and jumped off the stool. He just couldn’t take it anymore.

Take what? The whining. The constant whining by the extreme left about the reasons for war, the incompetence of this administration, and how we’ve all been lied to, and how we should pull out of Iraq immediately, because, *gulp* our soldiers were in danger.
Scott goes on to talk about the good we did for the people of Iraq, which is a point I'll mightily debate with him. But what troubles me is that he sees all Democrats as being blindly anti-war based on Cindy Sheehan and those who have latched on to her cause.

I decided to post a comment to him, and thought I'd post it here:
Scott, I’m sure you know this, but the vast majority of Democrats don’t believe soldiers are naive. Most of us think of them as people who are making a huge sacrifice for the counrty in volunteering to serve, and honor them for being willing to make a much larger sacrifice if need be.

I also completely agree that now that we are in Iraq, there’s no getting out till the country can stand on it’s own. People who are calling for immediate withdrawal miss the reality of the situation, and I think they do not represent the majority of Democrats by even a long shot.

I do think that many Democrats wonder if Pres. Bush misused our troops by sending them into Iraq, and I feel the same. In my mind, before we entered Iraq, it was run by a dictator, but a dictator who opposed radical Islam and did not have any relationship with international terror networks. Now we have a new terrorist hotbed that we cannot control, while the leaders of Al-Qaeda roam free. It was a massive mistake.

So, anyway - if you feel you’re done with the Democratic party, that’s up to you. But the Democratic “big tent” always has and always will have room for people from across the spectrum - be they moderate conservatives or out-and-out liberals like myself.

Comments:
Dear Tennessee Liberal;
I must take issue with the last statement of your letter to Scott Randolph. When J.C. Watts (R-OK) was elected to the House of Representatives, he was told he was not welcome at the meetings of the Congressional Black Caucus. No conservative thought welcome there!
There are numerous litmus tests in your party and they are never ignored. How else could abortion have become the linchpin required in a political appointment?
 
Well, the Congressional Black Caucus is not a Democratic organization, for one. And as for abortion as a litmus test, I guess you might want to run that by the many anti-choice Democrats in Tennessee and throughout the country. I disagree with their position, but they are Democratic as anyone else is.

Thanks for your comment, and I hope you keep reading!
 
TL, Don't know how you can claim that Saddam was not running a terrorist state with intl links: Abu Nidal in Baghdad, the payments to Palestinian suicide families, for starters. Saddam WAS courting the Islamic Jihad, he had a Koran written in his own blood, for starters. You don't control a hotbed anyway, you kill it and that is what we're doing. Al-qaeda leaders roaming free? Their spirits freely wafting to hell perhaps - Saudi Arabia just knocked of a fresh one. But then again maybe you live in a TN cave. Cheers.
 
Sorry, das, but here in my TN cave, I noticed that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and didn't have the means to attain them - which was the reason we went in there in the first place, right? And Saudi Arabia has done a pretty fine job of developing terrorists, as well - the hometown boys from 9/11 seem to indicate that maybe we should do something about their terrorist regime.

As for Al-Qaeda leaders, what ever happened to Osama bin Laden? Zarqawi sure doesn't seem to be drifting off to hell quite yet either. We squandered an opportunity and lost the momentum in fighting terrorism when we entered Iraq. Now terrorists have a new playground, and we are so distracted by our own quagmire that they can operate freely the world over.

Thanks for your comment.
 
You are too nice of a guy to argue with - God Bless.
 
Das - it's my totally evil secret strategy.

Clearly, it is effective. :)

Thanks again for taking the time to comment, though!
 
When Richard Nixon was president, I swore I would never over for a Republican for president. Bill Clinton and Al Soreloser changed my mind. The Democratic strategy seems to try to pick up even the smallest issue and blow it up to mammoth proportions and demonize anyone who doesn't agree with them. According to Dems I supposed to be outraged at the problems at Gitmo, mistreatment of the Koran when my kids' teacher can't lead them in a prayer at school and the word "God" is trying to be outlawed. We're called Nazis and fascist because we don't support gay marriage. Too many Dems in the press truly come across as people that hate America, want to lose the war in Iraq and don't really give a damn about the soldiers except to use their deaths to rant and against the war and their actions to rant against them. And now, some Dems seem to want to ban Catholics from the Supreme Court. Religious bigotry, pure and simple.

I have a brother who died from AIDS. I have a sister who is gay. But I don't support gay marriage. I have friends in Iraq. I'm ambigious about the war. I wish my brother was alive. My sister is my closest sibling out of 5. I wish my friends were home. But it'll take another Richard Nixon to get me to vote Democratic for president and so far GWB isn't RMN. Durbin and Dean and his ilk have ruined the Democratic Party.
 
"Al Soreloser"? That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more.

Let me explain it in as clear terms as I can: Al Gore got more votes. He got more votes nationwide, and he got more votes in Florida. Every independent evaluation of the ballots after that election showed that he won, and was robbed of the Presidency. Period. When we look back in 100 years, it will be one of country's great shames.

You shouldn't be worried about the desecration of the Koran because it's the Koran. You should be worried about it because that is the kind of crap that makes these young Arab men go off to madrassas in the first place.

I don't want to make God illegal in school. Far from it. But I want to be damn sure that when I have a kid he/she doesn't get taught the right-wing conservative version of my religion, Christianity, which seems to be the only kind of religion in schools that conservatives find valid.

Democrats don't want Catholics on the court? I'm sure that comes as a pretty damn enormous surprise to say, Ted Kennedy. Or John Kerry. Or any number of Catholic Democrats across the country. To say Democrats are committing religious bigotry is perhaps the silliest meme one could regurgitate. You know what we are trying to avoid? People whose narrow view of Christianity and religion will lead them view a literalist reading of the Old Testament as the filter for judging laws and not the Constitution.

But what troubles me the most about the type of religiously-based politics that today's Republican party seems to back is its basic ignorance of Christ's teachings on poverty, social justice, and love for one another. There is always room for disagreement and interpretation in matters of faith, but I just don't see where opposing a minmum wage increase is doing unto the least of these our brothers what we would do unto Christ.

I don't mind honest disagreement, but when you trot out lines about "banning God" and "not giving a damn about the troops," you fall victim to soundbite politics, practice deception, and cheapen the debate. I won't accept it.
 
I read your post and your statement on Scott Randolph's blog that there was no connection between Saddam and international terrorist networks. I find this to be delusional and dangerous thinking. Please take the time to review the following link:

http://www.husseinandterror.com/
 
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