Jeb Bush, former governor of the state of Florida, calling out his own political party for being an "anti-everything" party.
"All too often we’re associated with being 'anti' everything. Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on. Many voters are simply unwilling to choose our candidates even though they share our core beliefs, because those voters feel unloved, unwanted and unwelcome in our party."
Perhaps it's because I don't follow politics, and hear about current events most often from my more liberal friends than my more conservative ones, but what Jeb Bush describes here very closely matches what I've been led to believe over the last year or so. I noted that this last Presidential election seemed to be especially vicious, not just between the candidates but across the entire country, and I wonder whether this "anti-everything" notion—whether it's true, or merely perceived to be true—might be largely to blame. It's easier to argue intelligently over differing opinions than opposite opinions. "I prefer Star Wars" goes a lot farther with me than "You're an idiot and Star Trek is stupid" does. From what I've heard, it sounds like some of these opinions have morphed from personal convictions into political tactics aimed at disrupting the current administration from getting anything done.
Again, I don't follow politics. I'm registered Independent, do my research when the big election rolls around every four years, and vote for the candidate I think will do the best job for the country, not just me personally. The rest of the time, unless somebody else brings it to my attention, I am blissfully unaware of the ways of Washington. But every time I do hear or read about politics, it's the same old song: We're not making any progress. We can't agree on new policies, and we can't agree about the old ones. Politicians keep making offensive, embarrassing statements that show how out-of-touch they are with the other side, if not reality itself. It doesn't sound like we're compromising and working for our nation's future; it sounds like we're relying on sheer numbers of people who inherently agree with us to make anything happen.
"...we need to get re-acquainted with the notion that the relationships that really matter are not made through Twitter and social media. Real relationships take time to grow, and they begin with a genuine interest in the stories, dreams and challenges harbored within each of us."
Jeb, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been reading my blog.