An open letter to all Republicans from a Democrat

Published on October 21, 2004 By CraigAlan In Politics

My fellow Americans,

I have a feeling that you and I are a lot alike. We both value the Constitution. We both love living in America. We both believe in God. We both watch Football and/or Baseball. We both are saddened by the memory of 9/11. There may be other similarities, too. We both might have brown hair. Or blue eyes. We both might drive the same car.

So here's my question: why do you hate me?

I certainly don't hate you. I don't agree with you, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I try to understand your politics but am baffled to no end at how militaristic you are. Why is it a good thing for a nation to be an agressor? We've every right to defend our homes, I'll give you that, but I don't see where this gives us the right to seek war and bomb the crap out of anyone who stands in our way.

Ideals like "united we stand" and "God bless America" meant something to me once, but now the meanings have been twisted. America has turned into a big bully, hurt and striking out at anyone we please (and mostly in the wrong direction). And we're alienating the rest of the human race while we're at it. Doesn't anyone besides me care about that?

So here's another question: when did our way of doing things become the only "right" way?

I know this is going to get taken the wrong way. Maybe you'll call me anti-American. That's all I really hear anymore, is names. Defensive counterattacks against me without any solid, reasonable, logical debates telling me WHY I am wrong. Only that I am wrong, and that I am, quite possibly, a traitor.

Come November, I plan to vote, just like you. We'll be voting for two different candidates, and in the end, one will win. But say the Democrat wins, what then?

All in all, all that I can hope for is that the voting and electoral process is respected and we don't have a repeat of the fiasco that was the 2000 election. Whether Bush or Kerry wins, I just don't want either side crying "foul" like what happened last time. I want it to be fair and square. How about you?

Sincerely,
A Democrat

Comments

drmiler

on Oct 21, 2004

An open letter to all Republicans from a Democrat

By: CraigAlan
Posted: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Message Board: Politics
My fellow Americans,

I have a feeling that you and I are a lot alike. We both value the Constitution. We both love living in America. We both believe in God. We both watch Football and/or Baseball. We both are saddened by the memory of 9/11. There may be other similarities, too. We both might have brown hair. Or blue eyes. We both might drive the same car.

So here's my question: why do you hate me?

We don't hate you, just your fielded candidate.

>
So here's another question: when did our way of doing things become the only "right" way?

I know this is going to get taken the wrong way. Maybe you'll call me anti-American. That's all I really hear anymore, is names. Defensive counterattacks against me without any solid, reasonable, logical debates telling me WHY I am wrong. Only that I am wrong, and that I am, quite possibly, a traitor

Nope, no name calling either. But to clue you in.... the Democrats think that *their* way is right way to the exclusion of our way. So *both* sides are guilty. Who's right? Who's to say who's right?

Come November, I plan to vote, just like you. We'll be voting for two different candidates, and in the end, one will win. But say the Democrat wins, what then?

If the Dems win fair and square, then oh well they win. But I'm certain that a lot of them will try rubbing our noses in it.

Chemicalkinetics

on Oct 21, 2004

So here's my question: why do you hate me?

I certainly don't hate you. I don't agree with you, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I try to understand your politics but am baffled to no end at how militaristic you are. Why is it a good thing for a nation to be an agressor? We've every right to defend our homes, I'll give you that, but I don't see where this gives us the right to seek war and bomb the crap out of anyone who stands in our way.

You know the truth is that some Democrats hate Republicans and some Republicans hate Democrats. I am not one of them as I am a Republican who has more Democrat as friends (it just turns out that way, I didn't plan it). The point is if you look at this election (not the last one). I will say more Democrat hates Repubicans than others. If you look at demostration violates or the statistic of people damaging car with certain political bumper stickers. More harms are done to the Repubican side.

As for your question of being an aggressor. Well, certainly you may not know that we literally kill more Iraqi during the oil sanction peroid than the War on Iraq now. During oil santion, more than 5000 Iraqi children under 5 die every MONTH, that is every month, and that is only for children death. We are certainly not killing 5000 Iraqi children every month now. If you question the statistics, they are from the UN, easy to look up. So for you who are against the war, and against bombing Iraqi, let me ask you why do you prefer sanction a country indefinity? Why do you want to starve Iraqi children to death? The choice is not between war and some happy peace. The choice is between war and continuing a corrputed oil sanction. So why did you support the eight years oil sanction under Clinton with indefinitely length, but has problem with Bush's one time invarsion? This figures are real, Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton all accepted these figures, and even if you divides these number by 10, they are still way to high to compare Bush destruction number.

Link
Allow me to quote this from the link: Then-U.N. Ambassador Madeleine Albright went on CBS's "60 Minutes" in 1996 and assayed a defense of the toll taken by sanctions. A reporter stated that some estimates placed child deaths in Iraq at half a million (Halliday uses the same figure), and asked if the price was worth it. "I think this is a very hard choice," she replied, "but the price -- we think is worth it."
Even Iraqi themselves believe the invasion is justified, when is the last time US attacks a country, and the people from that country cheers. Not German Nazi, not Imperial Japan. Do you have any idea the combination of oil sanction and Saddam is hell to these people? Do you know what kind of pain Iraqi must have went through for them to say the invarsion is a better alternative?

Link

I don't bother even with the American interest argument.
So I like to ask you a similar question you me: Why do you prefer oil sanction? Why do you prefer to kill Iraqi silently?

citahellion

on Oct 21, 2004

Here's my question:

Why do you buy into the idea that Republicans hate you? Generally speaking, republicans hate democrats just about as much as democrats hate republicans. In other words, the average republicrat may feel a mild distaste when confronted with an average demican's viewpoints but will not harbor any ill will toward the actual individual.

The fact that you believe hatred to be the norm shows just how divisive politics in this country has become, with an "us vs. them" mentality that is totally unwarranted; and how much the extreme wings of either faction have cranked up their propaganda so that the average person starts believing it out of sheer repetition.

When it comes to political thought, it's best not to believe what you're told, but rather what you can see and hear for yourself.

Mitch21

on Oct 21, 2004

America has turned into a big bully

Goddamnit your right... we are the bullies and the terrorists are a bunch of little kids who just want to eat their lunch in peace....

CraigAlan

on Oct 21, 2004

I welcome the responses thus far. I'm going to put my two cents in as this discussion continues, though:

drmiller:

Nope, no name calling either. But to clue you in.... the Democrats think that *their* way is right way to the exclusion of our way. So *both* sides are guilty. Who's right? Who's to say who's right?

To be honest, I don't personally think there is a "right" way. Maybe I can come off sounding like I believe there is, but I think part of the beauty of America is having two sides to choose from. Ideally, there'd be more, but I digress. Perhaps I shouldn't pigeonhole all Republicans by saying everyone in your party is a certain way, but I think it would be fair to say that Republicans have their fits about Democrats, too! The reality is, you're right, both sides are guilty to some degree of belief that their way is right to the exclusion of the other. And neither side can really say "you know what, I'm right damnit, and to hell with everyone who doesn't agree with me." Well... one could say that I suppose but it doesn't necessarily make it true, especially when you put yourself in the other person's shoes.

Chemicalkinetics:

So I like to ask you a similar question you me: Why do you prefer oil sanction? Why do you prefer to kill Iraqi silently?

I prefer not killing Iraqis period. War as a means to an end is, to me, not a hell of a lot better than sanctions or embargos or whatnot. I want our troops back home safe where they belong, not fighting and getting killed.

citahellion:

Why do you buy into the idea that Republicans hate you? Generally speaking, republicans hate democrats just about as much as democrats hate republicans. In other words, the
average republicrat may feel a mild distaste when confronted with an average demican's viewpoints but will not harbor any ill will toward the actual individual.

I can see now that my "why do you hate me" comment has raised more than a few eyebrows. I'll admit, it was somewhat of a harsh way to phrase things, and perhaps I could've come off as a little less paranoid.

The fact that you believe hatred to be the norm shows just how divisive politics in this country has become, with an "us vs. them" mentality that is totally unwarranted; and how much the extreme wings of either faction have cranked up their propaganda so that the average person starts believing it out of sheer repetition.

I couldn't agree with you more on this point. And I think it's safe to leave it at that.

Chemicalkinetics

on Oct 21, 2004

Not better? Of course it is better, ask the Iraqi, did you read the Iraqi response? So the Iraqi opinions have no bear for you, even they think the invarsion is jusified. I thought you said you care for the Iraqi. There is a difference between killing 10 people versus 1 000 people, and the Iraqi noticed that. The oil sanction killed about a million Iraqi, and do you think our War on Iraq has reached even 1/100th of that? So to you a 100 folds improvement is not "hell of alot better"? It is a two order of magnitude.... I hope you get a paper out and seriously do the calculation. If I tell you suddenly the USA death rate went up 100 times, you are going to tell me that "it is not a hell of worse"? If the ozone depletion increases 100 times, it is not hell alot worse. If I were to tell you the US causalty in Iraq is no 1000 but 10, are you telling me that the difference is too small to you? 100 times is a huge number, and you should know better than that. Is that the logic?

By the way, the choice ifor Bush was never between war and happy peace, the choice was between war and continue to sanction Iraq. You know that I know that, and Kerry has said that repeatly. He said that he will continue the weapon inspection and oil sanction.

blogic

on Oct 21, 2004

Hi CraigAlan, I liked your post.

I think there's a fair amount of anger on both sides of the politcial aisle right now. During the 1990s, I know Republicans really didn't like Clinton. Some Democrats weren't thrilled with him either, but I've never seen the intensity of dislike that I saw from the Republican back then. Democrats never responded to Reagan that way; and while I realize that some of the Republican will probably argue that's because Reagan wasn't as bad as Clinton, you can imagine that I suspect that's a partisan response.

Anyway, I think Democrats were shocked by the anger directed at Clinton, and the seeming unwillingness to admit that Bush has some serious flaws. After all, Democrats did admit that Clinton had serious flaws. So many Democrats have decided to become angry themselves, and to attack Bush just as Clinton was attacked, and to defend Kerry just as the Republicans always defend Bush.

Is that good for politics? I don't know. Is it good for discussions? Probably not. I think that's why both sides are so angry, so unwilling to admit the points of the other side, and so quick to claim that the other side's point of view isn't even legitimate.

Sometimes the discussions breakdown into name calling and character attacks. I enjoy conversations, even heated ones, where there's a real debate going on, but too often, insults take the place of arguments. That's a total waste of time: not only have the people in the discussion managed to insult each other, but because they were using insults instead of arguments, they haven't even advanced the thinking at all.

drmiler

on Oct 22, 2004

Reply #7 By: blogic - 10/21/2004 11:19:22 PM
Hi CraigAlan, I liked your post.

I think there's a fair amount of anger on both sides of the politcial aisle right now. During the 1990s, I know Republicans really didn't like Clinton. Some Democrats weren't thrilled with him either, but I've never seen the intensity of dislike that I saw from the Republican back then. Democrats never responded to Reagan that way; and while I realize that some of the Republican will probably argue that's because Reagan wasn't as bad as Clinton, you can imagine that I suspect that's a partisan response.

Anyway, I think Democrats were shocked by the anger directed at Clinton, and the seeming unwillingness to admit that Bush has some serious flaws. After all, Democrats did admit that Clinton had serious flaws. So many Democrats have decided to become angry themselves, and to attack Bush just as Clinton was attacked, and to defend Kerry just as the Republicans always defend Bush.

Until Clinton there was no anger like this between the parties. I think Bill Clinton is what turned the republicans so vicious Of course that's just my opinion.

Grim Xiozan

on Oct 22, 2004

After all, Democrats did admit that Clinton had serious flaws.

, I almost did a spittake on my PC screen.

Anyways I think Repuclicrats and Demicans are stupid, just plain stupid, because they are sooo stupid, so freaking stupid, did I say they were stupid, simply stupid and utterly stupid!

*PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT*

(runs aways)

STUPID!!

- Grim X

drmiler

on Oct 22, 2004

Reply #9 By: Grim Xiozan - 10/22/2004 12:34:28 AM
After all, Democrats did admit that Clinton had serious flaws.

, I almost did a spittake on my PC screen.

Anyways I think Repuclicrats and Demicans are stupid, just plain stupid, because they are sooo stupid, so freaking stupid, did I say they were stupid, simply stupid and utterly stupid!

*PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT*

(runs aways)

Come back here you chicken, you!

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