How To Lose An Election

I was listening to NPR during my drive in to work like I do every morning and the discussion was over how the Republican party lost the Presidential election. A resounding agreement was that the GOP panders to white men over the age of 50 and has done a great job of alienating women, the LGBT community, minorities, and Americans younger than 30. Another point brought up was that it SEEMS Republicans only care for the wealthy and see the rest of Americans as moochers. They quoted Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity who said Obama supporters were just looking for a handout. These were members of the GOP citing these reasons. Some Republicans who called in said they were tired of GOP representatives being obstructionists while others said they leaned way to far to the right to be taken seriously. Perhaps it is time they finally take a long, hard look at themselves. And I hope they won't be proud of what they find.

I was jobless for nearly a year between 2009 and 2010. I never collected unemployment, was never late paying any of my bills and I voted for President Obama. Twice. So, if all of those who voted for Obama are a bunch of government moochers, I would like to know how I fall into that category. I don't have kids that go to school, I pay my taxes on time every year, and fall above the income level where I do indeed pay income tax. I am not Romney's so-called 47% and I still voted against him.

I guess what I am trying to say is that those of us who voted for President Obama are not evil deadbeats waiting for our next government handout. This nation is not going to crumble over the next four years under his leadership. It has never crumbled to the point of non-existence under any of our leaders, so what makes some believe its going to start now? Our nation has been in much worse shape and our economy IS slowly and surely recovering despite what FOX News will tell you. You can't unfix years of unchecked Dubya spending in 4 years. And you have to have both sides of the political aisle working together to get it done. So, if you want to complain about why its taking so long, point a finger to the GOP who has been unwilling to work with Democrats. Again, back to my first paragraph where Republicans admitted they were being obstructionists. Don't believe me? Let's use the GOP's own words against them. Minority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said his number one goal was to make Obama a one term President four years ago. The goal wasn't to put Americans back to work or create new jobs or balance the budget or do ANY NUMBER of things for the American people. But his best interest wasn't the American people. It was creating political discourse. Now, just how did that help America?

How does it help America when corporation CEO's like Robert Murray punish the American people by laying off employees a day after the election. Murray laid off close to 200 people at Murray Energy citing a bogus "war on coal" by Obama. According to the Washington Post, "energy analysts say that the coal-mining business is suffering because of competition from low-cost natural gas and rising production costs of coal, especially in the Appalachian region." So, it's not Obama's fault these people are losing their jobs, but I suppose it's easier to blame the President than the actual competition stemming from free enterprise. 

I see online petitions flying around for states to secede. Well, I've got some news for you people. Do a little real homework and you'll learn that unless you live in the state of Texas, you can't secede. And losing Texas wouldn't be that big of a deal really. It's been a waste of red(neck) space for years. But, I have never cared for Texas, so that is my own prejudice rearing its ugly head. But seriously, besides pro-sports teams, what else does Texas have to offer? Traffic and strip malls. Where do I sign up? (ADDENDUM: It turns out that as a student in Texas, I was misinformed in my Texas history class and Texas cannot secede from the Union. So, chalk it up to Texas Public Schools. Gotta love a one-sided view of history for all!)

When Dubya won in 2000 and 2004, I wasn't upset. I was concerned. I didn't start throwing petitions around trying to get my home state to secede from the country. I honestly knew he wouldn't do a very good job and he didn't, but I didn't act like a sore loser and take to calling my Republican friends Facists and Nazis. You want further proof he was an unpopular President? He wasn't invited to the 2012 Republican National Convention and he was the last Republican to hold the Presidency. Romney intentionally separated himself from Dubya. And he was smart to do so.

I got off topic a bit here, but it seems to me that the GOP needs to stop alienating core groups of Americans if they want to win elections. They need to embrace the fact that the United States is evolving and things like gay marriage and global warming are real and will happen. They need to stop trivializing things like rape and supporting equality for women, minorities and the LGBT community. They need to pull away from the outrageous, ignorant, petty and sometimes racist agenda of the Tea Party. They need to stop clinging to the Christian religion as public law and forcing it on the American public.

In conclusion, I believe I have heard Ronald Reagan's name being brought up quite frequently since President Obama took office. The GOP lauds the days when he was President. Many Tea Partiers want to go back to the times when he was in office. Well, let's see, he supported a woman's right to choose, unions, infrastructure spending, tax hikes (and lots of them), corporate tax increases, the Brady Act, and amnesty for immigrants. Doesn't sound much like the Republican platform of today. But, when a platform reeks of the 1950's, then just about anything looks better than regression.

Responsibility in Responding

Alyssa Douglas is a 16-year-old Clarksville, Ohio high school student. She looks like a pretty girl. I would like to learn more about her, but her Twitter account has, not surprisingly, been taken down. Why is that?

Perhaps Miss Douglas was texting her boyfriend or applying lip gloss when the topic of the legality of threatening the President of the United States was brought up in her history or civics classes? Hell, I never paid attention in sophomore typing class because the guy that sat behind me had unbelievable blue eyes. Perhaps I got a little off topic, but Miss Douglas did not learn this behavior or mentality from her Ohio public school education that we all Americans helped pay for.

This behavior and mindset was taught by, more than likely, the girl's parents. I am not saying its completely their fault or doing. It could also be some deer-hunting, camo-wearing, misled boyfriend or a group of uneducated friends. Peer pressure sucks -- we were all teenagers once. You know, I thought Dubya was an arrogant dumbass, but I would have never dreamed of hurting him. SOMEONE is teaching Miss Douglas that kind of hate. And her hash tag adds fuel to the fire. But that little Tweet has gotten both the teenager and her parents into hot water. As expected, the Secret Service and FBI are both investigating.

And honestly, what makes President Obama so polarizing? I mean, his ideas aren't that radical. If you did real research you would know he wasn't a Muslim (which would be fine if he were) or a socialist (a practice we currently use in this country via public schools, the postal service, fire & law enforcement etc...) So, what is it? And I hate playing the race card, but that seems to be the only thing I can come up with. But many don't want to admit they are racists. However, they pass this hatred down or onto others, especially their children, who in turn Tweet illegally without any thought to their words or actions.

My friend, Eleni, points out that kids in public schools are taught to pass standardized tests, but not to think critically. I also believe that MANY children aren't raised to think for themselves.  I grew up with parents constantly telling me I CANNOT and SHOULD NOT think like them. People in this country would be better off if they had the ability to decide on their own what they believe in and not what their parents, elders, or uninformed influences tell them to believe. I mean, I knew a guy who was in his mid-20's and it took me explaining my parents "think for yourself" mentality that made him actually realize he COULD believe something else.

I know there are a lot of things broken in our public education system. And I am more than happy to voice my opinion about it because my money pays for it. I do not have kids, but if you do, I probably helped educate them. That being said, some people just cannot learn by reading books. My boyfriend is incredibly intelligent and he is one of those people. I didn't want to (or care to) read a book unless it told a good story. I remember being startled in one of my freshman college classes when a professor actually asked me what I thought of a topic we were discussing. I mean, I could not believe he actually cared what I thought after being told to shut up thousands of times in K-12th grade.

There are no solid answers or explanations as to what drives extreme hatred in a 16-year-old mind. School shootings come to mind. They are senseless. I mean, when I was 16, I hated the girl who made fun of my acne, but I never even joked about trying to kill her. It just wasn't in my mind's capacity to ever consider taking the life of another human being. And it still isn't. And maybe Miss Douglas was just angry she didn't make the volleyball team and was letting off steam. But what did President Obama do to her that was so terrible? My guess would be nothing.

I am aware parenting is not easy and I am also NOT saying don't raise your children in a Republican/Democrat, conservative/progressive household. Teach them the positive, loving values of those beliefs. But also give them the freedom to study and look beyond those teachings. Because no matter what, you aren't born with that level of hatred. It is a learned behavior. And who wants a 16-year-old child with that amount of irresponsible and uneducated venom in their heart and mind?