I am a bit perplexed today as I continue my quest to fully understand the political maneuverings of the times. As we all know, after much partisanship posturing, a new Supreme Court Justice has been seated . . . hooray. Like so many, I have no definitive knowledge whether the Democrats staged a last-minute sabotage or the Republicans pulled a fast one--I know what I read and what I hear. I suppose that is the beauty of not being affiliated with either party because my vision is not warped by party allegiance, so I can attempt to view issues through a clear glass . . . sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. On Sunday evening's 60 Minutes, as I watched Senators Susan Collins and Heidi Heitkamp explain their respective votes for and against the nominee in question, I was convinced that both clearly, intelligently, and logically explained their reasoning--both had definitely done their homework and voted their conscience. I applauded both for their careful consideration and, from my seat, relatively unbiased choices. Regardless of which way the overall vote went, chaos was going and will continue to emerge . . . the can of worms has been opened.
With all that said, though, I am not sure that I understand a term that has been debated for and argued against. Until I have a clear understanding of this powerful word, I will remain skeptical of just exactly what is motivating this fight among political opponents:
What is a Conservative?
Constantly, I have been bombarded with this term. Statements such as "Finally we are guaranteed a Conservative Supreme Court for many years," "No more of these damn liberal rulings," . . . are two personal ones I have heard in the last four days. However, when I asked a Conservative friend to tell me what a Conservative is, the response was "I don't know, but I am one." My counter response was "What the hell do you mean?" The conversation ended.
Allow me to think aloud for a few moments: Does being a Conservative mean that our country is perhaps headed to "a return to the good ol' days" where lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders no longer will have equal rights? Where attempts to balance racial equality will revert to yesteryear's standards? Where immigration will take a turn to "how it should be"? I am asking these questions--as stated in my title--because I am seriously ignorant of what "Conservative" means. My friends, I await clarification--please educate me.
On another political observation, we adults really have a way of screwing up situations, but I am not sure that we even know it. Because of my involvement with young people for a lifetime, I certainly would love to see the younger generation become immersed in knowledge and understanding of the political process. However, my observations are that so many just surrender and truly do not care. When they see a political establishment dominated primarily by seasoned politicians who are somewhat "long in the tooth," we would hope that the younger generation would recognize the respect those people deserve due to their longevity and devotion to the American cause. Unfortunately, what I suspect the young folks see is a bunch of decrepit old people--primarily white men--who ooze power and control and need to retire to the comfort of their home districts. In short, the constant bickering, accusations, and beat downs have done nothing to advance arguments; rather, they simply have turned off younger people, and, I suspect, many of the "not so young," as well.
Let's not kid ourselves: The more divided we are, the more divided we will remain. Waiting for a Wonder Woman or Superman candidate is getting harder with each passing day. As we continue to place blame on "the other side," the gap widens. As that fissure hardens, so many Americans of all ages are becoming less interested. For several years, I have advocated that the formation of a third political party holds the key for advancement, not merely survival of the political process.
I suppose it is a mute point: The younger generation doesn't really care . . . and it's our fault.
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