Is anyone out there as tired of the hatred and fighting as I am? It has to stop.
America was born out of a concept of freedom and I respect that but we also have to be united and work on problems together. A house divided cannot stand. All this hatred, the left versus right, the biased reporting, the political unheaval and the lack of respect and common decncy has to stop.
What caused all this? Lets go back to 2001 after 9/11. We were united as a country because we had been attacked horribly. We changed many things and we compromised to get them done. President Bush was not a dynamic leader but he was forceful and pushed us through. Was the Iraq war a mistake? Maybe but it is not the root cuase of where we are today. Obama came along and we were in trouble. The mortagage crisis had turned into a world economic crisis and he was dynamic and a great orator. We bought it hook, line and sinker. He was a community organizer and in his heart a socialist. His roots started to show by midway through his first term.
Obama wanted big social change and he pushed for it. He could not get it done through typical political channels so he leverage the movement Hilary Clinton started - political correctness. Remember that. We had to change the way we talked and communicated in the fear we would say something that might just offend someone. Funny how for over 200 years prior we managed to make progress and become the greatest nation on earth without being politically correct. So Obama tapped into that sensitivity and used it to convince folks that there were people out to get them. Every action creates an equal or greater reaction and so it happened.
Obama went to his roots. He was the first Black President so why not focus on race. Lord knows he knew it well and lived it as a community organizer in Chicago. Problem is we were making good progress on race relations. No we were not there yet and frankly I'm not sure any society is but we were far from the 1960's and people were accepting each other and moving ahead. We opened wounds on race on both sides. The evil racists came out in response to Obama elevating race to the national stage. But it did not stop there, other minorities saw the lift the Black population was getting and decided to jump in and demand their place at the table. So we went from a racial problem to a sexual problem to a religious issue.
Add to this volatile mixture the emerging technology of immediate communication, 24 hour news cycles and political battles that had now become firmly entrenched. CNN versus Fox is a good example. CNN became so biased in their views and reporting that Murdoch saw an opportunity to create an alternative network to counter it. To try bring some balance. It however, quickly turned into CNN being the mouthpiece for the left and Fox for the right. Obama fueled this fire by taking a celebrity attitude and using TV shows as a Presidential platform (till then very rarely done by most Presidents). He then made another big strategic error, he chose to show and tell the American people his bias by refusing to go on Fox or work with them. Leaders don't divide they unite.
This cascaded through society. Obama's liberal agenda became a battle cry for many and that in turn enraged the silent majority who did not agree. Unlike the left, these folks did not take to streets or violently protest, instead they quietly took their money and their votes and waited for the right time. They thought it would be to stop Obama from a second term but his momentum was too strong. Obama used his second term to further divide the country by circumventing Congress and using Executive privelge as no other President before. And he did not stop at the domestic line. He entered the global arena and made several critical mistakes. He showed America as a weak compromising country not one of strength and leadership. He signed many bad deals like the one with Iran. He ignored North Korea and let them grow. He kept us muddling along in Afganastan with no way to win or get out. In short his international policy failed miserably. Actually, I am surprised we were not attacked again during his second term. I guess we owe thanks to the bueauracracy in our Bush era law enforcement organizations for continuing to protect us.
So as he ended his second term we had a harshly divided country and a left leaning establishment that thogut it had control of America and its agenda for the forseeable future. Then the right trotted out a bunch of boring old establishment guys to run against the anointed left Queen - Hilary Clinton. The left believed it was undefeatable because it had seen such rampant progress under Obama. Even when the billionaire businessman Trump showed up with outrageous exaggerations and bold predictions the left was not worried. Actually, they thought he was a buffoon and had no chance of beating the Clinton machine. Even when they failed to stop him from getting the Republican nomination, they still knew they were going to win big in the 2016 election.
The left underestimated how badly they had pissed off the silent majority across the country. The hard working folks were not happy with all ridiculous entitilements and social agenda. They were not happy with being made to be villains when they were not. They hated the way they were categorized as the enemy of the minorities and social progression. These folks did what a our democracy gives them the right to do - they voted. Even though Trump was a bad candidate he won. He beat Clinton and did so convincingly. The shock was palpable. CNN was in catatonic shock and so was the entire left.
Like all good liberals they could not and have not accepted the will of the people. They wanted the election nullified and have been trying to find ways to do that ever since. Add to this they have been violent and aggressive. They have blocked the new agenda at every turn and have not given President Trump a chance. Now Trump has done nothing to endear the left or most of the world for that matter. His continued ridiculous, obnoxious Tweets serve no purpose and should be outlawed for a President. He has no filter, exaggerates constantly, believes his own BS and is about as sensitive as a bull in a China shop. He is embarrassing on the world stage and is very weak at diplomacy. This is really sad because some of what he is trying to do needs to be done. America needs to get tougher and we need to be a bit more introspective and protective.
So where are we today? The left is enraged and pouting. They take anything they can find and blow it up into a major issue whether it is or not. They are helped by the mainstream media and every talking head on TV. They are perpetuating a young generation of "snowflakes" who want everything given to them and have no true American work ethic. They don't know what made us the greatest nation on earth - they don't understand struggle. This public discourse is part of Democracy but there must be some limits. For example this current outrage around the NFL players. I believe that NFL players like any professional athlete has the right to speak their mind. They have the right to protest and the right to use their fame to get folks to listen. But they do not have the right to do it during an NFL game or to disgrace our national anthem. If you want to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter have your agent book you on a talk show or place you in a rally or protest. There are tons of shows that would love to have a star NFL player come on and attack the police, the administration and the president.
It is frankly no different than my opinion about actors expressing their political opinions on award shows. Time and place people! An award show is to recognize the best in the industry. To thank them for their brilliant work. To showcase their struggles to make a living piece of art. It is not a place to share your political views. Again go to a town hall meeting, go on a talk show or protect somewhere but don't pollute an award show with that kind of rhetoric.
Lets compare that to the real world. An average Jane could never go into a company meeting to present a project idea or receive an achievement award and dare to rant about her political views. She would be fired on the spot and rightly so. Time and place people! Your work, your fame, your money can help you succeed in life and your success will provide you plenty of access to express your political views but not at your place of work or industry function.
It is amazingly egotistical to think that everyone watching a football game wants to know your political views. Truth is we don't - we want to watch football. You are paid very well to play so do your job and protest on your own time.
Can we stop? We have become so divided. So angry and so wicked. We are like a bunch of very spoiled kids. America we have real problems so lets start with those. President Trump it's time to lead. Stop attacking folks and picking fights. Stop Tweeting. Focus us on the big issues and unite us by your actions.
Politicians pay attention to why you are where you are. We put you there to solve problems - big ones. Not to fight with each other and rip us off. Act like professionals and get something done. Compromise! I know you know how because most of you are married. Start from the premise you will never get all that you want. If you get 50% that is a victory. If both sides start with this expectation we will reach compromise and get the country moving.
Here are the things we should be focused on now. We can sort out many of the others later. I am not saying that these are the only important issues in our country - absolutely not. They are however the big ones and the most critical.
America was born out of a concept of freedom and I respect that but we also have to be united and work on problems together. A house divided cannot stand. All this hatred, the left versus right, the biased reporting, the political unheaval and the lack of respect and common decncy has to stop.
What caused all this? Lets go back to 2001 after 9/11. We were united as a country because we had been attacked horribly. We changed many things and we compromised to get them done. President Bush was not a dynamic leader but he was forceful and pushed us through. Was the Iraq war a mistake? Maybe but it is not the root cuase of where we are today. Obama came along and we were in trouble. The mortagage crisis had turned into a world economic crisis and he was dynamic and a great orator. We bought it hook, line and sinker. He was a community organizer and in his heart a socialist. His roots started to show by midway through his first term.
Obama wanted big social change and he pushed for it. He could not get it done through typical political channels so he leverage the movement Hilary Clinton started - political correctness. Remember that. We had to change the way we talked and communicated in the fear we would say something that might just offend someone. Funny how for over 200 years prior we managed to make progress and become the greatest nation on earth without being politically correct. So Obama tapped into that sensitivity and used it to convince folks that there were people out to get them. Every action creates an equal or greater reaction and so it happened.
Obama went to his roots. He was the first Black President so why not focus on race. Lord knows he knew it well and lived it as a community organizer in Chicago. Problem is we were making good progress on race relations. No we were not there yet and frankly I'm not sure any society is but we were far from the 1960's and people were accepting each other and moving ahead. We opened wounds on race on both sides. The evil racists came out in response to Obama elevating race to the national stage. But it did not stop there, other minorities saw the lift the Black population was getting and decided to jump in and demand their place at the table. So we went from a racial problem to a sexual problem to a religious issue.
Add to this volatile mixture the emerging technology of immediate communication, 24 hour news cycles and political battles that had now become firmly entrenched. CNN versus Fox is a good example. CNN became so biased in their views and reporting that Murdoch saw an opportunity to create an alternative network to counter it. To try bring some balance. It however, quickly turned into CNN being the mouthpiece for the left and Fox for the right. Obama fueled this fire by taking a celebrity attitude and using TV shows as a Presidential platform (till then very rarely done by most Presidents). He then made another big strategic error, he chose to show and tell the American people his bias by refusing to go on Fox or work with them. Leaders don't divide they unite.
This cascaded through society. Obama's liberal agenda became a battle cry for many and that in turn enraged the silent majority who did not agree. Unlike the left, these folks did not take to streets or violently protest, instead they quietly took their money and their votes and waited for the right time. They thought it would be to stop Obama from a second term but his momentum was too strong. Obama used his second term to further divide the country by circumventing Congress and using Executive privelge as no other President before. And he did not stop at the domestic line. He entered the global arena and made several critical mistakes. He showed America as a weak compromising country not one of strength and leadership. He signed many bad deals like the one with Iran. He ignored North Korea and let them grow. He kept us muddling along in Afganastan with no way to win or get out. In short his international policy failed miserably. Actually, I am surprised we were not attacked again during his second term. I guess we owe thanks to the bueauracracy in our Bush era law enforcement organizations for continuing to protect us.
So as he ended his second term we had a harshly divided country and a left leaning establishment that thogut it had control of America and its agenda for the forseeable future. Then the right trotted out a bunch of boring old establishment guys to run against the anointed left Queen - Hilary Clinton. The left believed it was undefeatable because it had seen such rampant progress under Obama. Even when the billionaire businessman Trump showed up with outrageous exaggerations and bold predictions the left was not worried. Actually, they thought he was a buffoon and had no chance of beating the Clinton machine. Even when they failed to stop him from getting the Republican nomination, they still knew they were going to win big in the 2016 election.
The left underestimated how badly they had pissed off the silent majority across the country. The hard working folks were not happy with all ridiculous entitilements and social agenda. They were not happy with being made to be villains when they were not. They hated the way they were categorized as the enemy of the minorities and social progression. These folks did what a our democracy gives them the right to do - they voted. Even though Trump was a bad candidate he won. He beat Clinton and did so convincingly. The shock was palpable. CNN was in catatonic shock and so was the entire left.
Like all good liberals they could not and have not accepted the will of the people. They wanted the election nullified and have been trying to find ways to do that ever since. Add to this they have been violent and aggressive. They have blocked the new agenda at every turn and have not given President Trump a chance. Now Trump has done nothing to endear the left or most of the world for that matter. His continued ridiculous, obnoxious Tweets serve no purpose and should be outlawed for a President. He has no filter, exaggerates constantly, believes his own BS and is about as sensitive as a bull in a China shop. He is embarrassing on the world stage and is very weak at diplomacy. This is really sad because some of what he is trying to do needs to be done. America needs to get tougher and we need to be a bit more introspective and protective.
So where are we today? The left is enraged and pouting. They take anything they can find and blow it up into a major issue whether it is or not. They are helped by the mainstream media and every talking head on TV. They are perpetuating a young generation of "snowflakes" who want everything given to them and have no true American work ethic. They don't know what made us the greatest nation on earth - they don't understand struggle. This public discourse is part of Democracy but there must be some limits. For example this current outrage around the NFL players. I believe that NFL players like any professional athlete has the right to speak their mind. They have the right to protest and the right to use their fame to get folks to listen. But they do not have the right to do it during an NFL game or to disgrace our national anthem. If you want to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter have your agent book you on a talk show or place you in a rally or protest. There are tons of shows that would love to have a star NFL player come on and attack the police, the administration and the president.
It is frankly no different than my opinion about actors expressing their political opinions on award shows. Time and place people! An award show is to recognize the best in the industry. To thank them for their brilliant work. To showcase their struggles to make a living piece of art. It is not a place to share your political views. Again go to a town hall meeting, go on a talk show or protect somewhere but don't pollute an award show with that kind of rhetoric.
Lets compare that to the real world. An average Jane could never go into a company meeting to present a project idea or receive an achievement award and dare to rant about her political views. She would be fired on the spot and rightly so. Time and place people! Your work, your fame, your money can help you succeed in life and your success will provide you plenty of access to express your political views but not at your place of work or industry function.
It is amazingly egotistical to think that everyone watching a football game wants to know your political views. Truth is we don't - we want to watch football. You are paid very well to play so do your job and protest on your own time.
Can we stop? We have become so divided. So angry and so wicked. We are like a bunch of very spoiled kids. America we have real problems so lets start with those. President Trump it's time to lead. Stop attacking folks and picking fights. Stop Tweeting. Focus us on the big issues and unite us by your actions.
Politicians pay attention to why you are where you are. We put you there to solve problems - big ones. Not to fight with each other and rip us off. Act like professionals and get something done. Compromise! I know you know how because most of you are married. Start from the premise you will never get all that you want. If you get 50% that is a victory. If both sides start with this expectation we will reach compromise and get the country moving.
Here are the things we should be focused on now. We can sort out many of the others later. I am not saying that these are the only important issues in our country - absolutely not. They are however the big ones and the most critical.
- Healthcare
- Taxes
- US Poverty
- US Infrastructure - highways, bridges etc.
- The War - we need to win or get out. Enough already
- Terrorism
- US Immigration
- Cancer - find a cure
- North Korea and Iran
Work on these and watch how many other things sort themselves out. This agenda is huge and should keep us busy for the next decade or more. Yes Black Lives Matter, Yes gay rights are important, Yes we need education reform. We need less racial divide. We need more sexual tolerance and deeper values. All important things but we can't do it all and my list will help with these.
Can we stop the fighting and divisiveness? I honestly don't know. But if we don't one of two things is going to happen. We are either going to get attacked in a big way by an enemy who sees our weakness and internal struggle and takes advantage. Or we are going to implode. Perhaps a civil war perhaps massive social unrest and violence. I don't know but I do know I don't want either.
Put the small stuff aside for now. Start with this - I am an American first. I love this country and all its freedoms and opportunities. I respect its laws and traditions. I will do all I can to contribute to its success and put my country before myself. I will honor all those that have protected my freedom. I will never ask for more than I can give. I will pay my taxes and vote. I will respect every persons rights to their opinions, beliefs, culture and sexual orientation as they will respect mine.
Pretty simple really. So lets get to work. God Bless America.