Can I say I loved the President’s speech without being called a socialist or a sad and pathetic human being who puts politics ahead of common workers?

I really did like the speech.  When I think of leaders, leaders have to have a fire and a potential to express hope and urgency when needed, even if they won’t have silver bullets.  When I think of a leader, I think of someone who can compromise on some things and speaks out of his vision.  I think he did that.  I appreciate that he spoke with passion and urgency.  I appreciate that he picked out things that Republicans and Democrats have supported and worked on.  I appreciate that he acknowledged that he and others aren’t looking for a silver bullet.  I appreciate that he acknowledged with passion the differing opinions about government role such as cutting taxes and clearing government red tape on one side and spending and programs on the other.  I appreciate that the President focused on aspects of our economy that I feel passionate about: infrastructure and teachers.  Between construction and education, we have a lot of blue collar high quality people.  And I appreciate that the President’s plan was not simply raising taxes- although Bill O’Reilly after would have me believe that raising taxes was the greatest part of the plan.  Part of the plan that I heard was about tax cuts and raising taxes, hiring teachers and veterans- and I don’t really care that we may not have an equal amount of spending cuts for that, I think we require and need to hire those people.

I am not superiorly informed about politics.  But I am frustrated to hear how we respond to one another.  This morning I participated in a Facebook post in which someone noted how someone he had just met was trying to categorize him politically and judge his friendship based upon that.  He noted how sad that was and how far we had come.  Two responders actually proved his entire point when one claimed that those on the left were trying to help but that the right was getting in the way.  The second responder even more angrily called the left Socialist bent on a Socialist utopia destroying the American dream and then after some back and forth, that person called the first responder a sad and pathetic human being simply for being on the left.  After I responded echoing the sentiments of the original post that we all have the image of God and are worthy of being treated as such, I was told by the second responder that that would be true but that…

the left doesn’t like or appreciate the Judeo-Christian traditions in America at all and that’s why they actively pursue by maligning, impugning & denigrating it at every available opportunity, citing and mischaracterizing a Thomas Jefferson letter about separation of Church & State…not realizing of course, that with their multicultural diversity and acceptance of Islam as a ‘so-called’ religion it absolves them of all their anti-religion bias.,..unfortunately also for them, the 1930 German Nazi government was thick as thieves with Middle Eastern Muslims and their own ideology agreed with it to the extent the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem sought political asylum in Nazi German back then…but we all know liberals are deaf, dumb and blind to reality and to actual history as it is..”

This response saddened me.  It frustrated and angered me.  In spite of the hope that being reminded of the image of God in another would renew our sense of peace and compassion towards the other.  And then after watching the President’s speech, which I felt was lighting a fire under everyone, I watched as the first response from Wolf Blitzer was that the President threatened the Republicans.  That was not the point, and it set up and created the natural response point for talk- the divisiveness and political hatred rather than the vision and hope the President laid down about a country that is still full of good people, full of hard work, and full of strength.  And then to top it off, I watched 15 minutes of Bill O’Reilly who spoke with Lou Dobbs.  O’Reilly said that the President was playing politics by putting the Republicans in a spot where if they passed the plan, they would be seen as agreeing to those plans, and if they didn’t vote for it they could be held to the fire as not wanting to help workers.  My first response was that any group that puts together a plan is doing that to all the others, and that is good- it forces action and if they don’t vote for it they can state their excellent reasons (that is part of humane dialogue right).  He also responded to the speech by saying it was a charade because all the President wants to do is raise taxes and that’s all the speech was about.  Now he did think some things were good but in calling it a charade and that the President really just put politics over the working person by putting the Republicans in a bind…really?  Really?  Does that really help us grow and gain steam in our country when the country is as bitterly divided as Washington politicians?  Calling something a charade?  It may be misguided or not effective, but it isn’t a charade.  I am not a Republican fan, but I don’t call them out as charades.  There are such things as charades, but not as individuals- the parties as a whole may charade, the country as a whole may charade, the Congress may charade, but to call the President charading?  I felt disgusted and saddened because it reflected my belief that even after a pretty good speech with good things (hiring veterans and teachers, tax breaks for small businesses, closing tax loopholes) that might really do something small that will encourage more (remember, no silver bullets), the speech may end up going nowhere and only bickering and blaming will result.

This is what I lament.  That when good things are said, they are bypassed for divide.  That when small issues like scheduling come up (ala Republican debate and President’s speech), people from all over make a giant issue out of it.  That when we have an opportunity to state the best of what we see and give compassionate feedback, we ignore the positives and call others sad and pathetic and charaders or blame the left or the right for our problems.  That when we have the opportunity to see the image of God in each other and trying to work for the better in our country, we see each other as sad and pathetic and blind and get set in so that the other can’t “win”, do anything so that the other side can’t claim any victory.  I lament this.  It is frustrating, but ultimately, I lament our situation because we need better, and it surely starts with me.  It starts with all of us, including the President, the Congress, Bill O’Reilly and all those others in the Facebook posts.  It starts with to be compassionate and seek to be helpful as we can, and to work for the greater good as Americans who still value what each can bring to the table.

Thank you for listening.