re: #51 Arkansawyer

Just had a close friend go on a tirade about Obama’s actions today. It was if I was the stand-in for every “butt-hurt lib” he was ranting about. It was unbridled vitriol directed my way. I remained polite, but dammit it was messed up. We used to be able to have pleasant coversations about politics. Now, I’ve lost a great deal of respect for a good friend. This guy is going to be in my wedding for fucks sake.

I’m sorry about the falling out with your friend.

This sort of thing comes from demonising liberals ever since President Nixon was in office. It really ramped up under President Reagan, until “liberal” can now stand in for anything that a conservative dislikes—it has even bled over so that the propaganda is accepted by a significant portion of those who call themselves independent or moderate.

Demonising political (and religious) opponents is how you kill democratic societies. I don’t know how to fix this. Republicans like Senator Lindsay Graham (R-So. Car.) who want to investigate foreign interference in our electoral process seem to be few and far in between these days.

I do not care much for Senator Graham’s positions, but I have never held him in contempt of the country or “anti-American” for being a conservative politician.

On the other hand, I have spent my entire adult life being pigeonholed into “commie” “anti-American” and all sorts of other vile characterisations of who I actually am. Never mind the disabled vet bit after most of my adult life in the military (see also President GHW Bush saying he didn’t think atheists could be patriotic nor should be citizens).

You note this person has been a long-time friend; even around you all that time his tirade apparently comes from a place where “all liberals are enemies” even the ones he knows personally.

Hopefully he will cool off in a day or so, but I don’t know how to retrieve our system where various political parties stand for different things, but all presume the others fundamentally have the USA’s interests at heart.