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Originally Posted by Blake
It took me years of fairly intensive research, allowing for working a full-time job, to figure out how to discern alternative explanations such as the above from the "party line" explanation Cool Hand repeated. Please, Dave, allow him the benefit of the doubt, since he appears to be near the beginning of such a process of political discovery.
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Blake,
I appreciate your stance on this matter and I appreciate your giving me the benefit of the doubt. I believe that your intentions are honorable and friendly. Nevertheless, I have to comment that I am a little uncomfortable with how you seem to be portraying me.
Please do not misunderstand. I mean no offense to you. I ask you, however, to look at your words above, place them in context, and then try to imagine that someone else is speaking about you. Now, if you do that, can you see that I might find your words to be at least somewhat patronizing? I do not really believe that you intend them to be insulting or belittling to me.
I am not a political babe in the woods. I am well educated, I try to stay informed, and I studied for a political science undergraduate degree for two years at a respectable private university before having to abandon that pursuit in favor of a degree in mathematics. Furthermore, I participated in my university's mock presidential convention when it was held, and it is a very realistic facsimile of the actual convention for the party out of power at the time. It happens to be a highly accurate predictor of the nominee selected before the actual convention, with a successful track record spanning nearly the entire 20th Century. Furthermore, I led a team in a political research seminar that conducted a university-wide scientific survey of the students and the faculty members. We had a participation rate greater than 85% of the population.
My shame and disgust I express in my OP is from the perspective of a disillusioned Republican. I am disillusioned not only by the President's stances on several social issues, but also by the ease with which real party politicians at the state and local level co-op straight party issues and positions, without dissent or actual personal input. I am witnessing that first hand and up close for the first time. I fully expected to see more disagreement and debate within the party. I did not anticipate so much pressure within the local party to conform and to adhere to a narrow band of core beliefs. Simply put, my local party does not leave any room for individual thought. It prefers to be a rallying place for right-wing ideologues, without leaving room for moderates to feel included.
Heh. Now that I have written all this, I sense that I am reacting too harshly to your remarks. You apparently meant no offense at all, and in retrospect are quite sympathetic to me. Well, I'm sorry now, Blake. I've gone from being very mildly offended due to feeling patronized to being contrite.
Oh well, perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am on a road to political discovery. Perhaps I have been on it for many years, but I am just now reaching a satisfactory point at which I can look back and appreciate where I have been, where I am, and where I might be heading in the future.
Take it easy.
Cool Hand