I know many would object to my even using the terms “rational” and “Democrats” in the same sentence. Honestly, for the most part, I’m with them.
Two Supreme Court cases had a major, negative impact on our culture: The first was in 1962, when the Court ruled in Engel v. Vitale that public school teachers or administrators, as employees of the federal government, could not recite prayers, effectively removing prayer in public schools, or at least severely hampering its practice.
The second is Roe v. Wade in 1973, which essentially legalized abortion in the U.S. (the right to kill an unborn child in the womb).
And so the Democratic Party largely embraced these huge cultural shifts, and thus began its movement away from the much more traditional and even patriotic Party my parents were part of: the Party of Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy.
Today, one can barely find a Democrat in elected office at the national level who promotes prayer in schools or the sanctity of life. That’s a tragedy.
Nevertheless, I have no doubt that there are many “rational” Democrats in our great country. Many Democrats like to tell Republicans that we need to “stand up to Trump.” I agree with them, and you’ll find many examples of me doing just that on this site… When I believe it’s necessary–not just to do it. And I’m far from the only one.
But what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander, as they say (or at least USED to in the old days!). In short, Democrats who expect Republicans to “man up” (or “person” up for the politically correct) need to do the same with “their own.”
Case in point: The absolutely outrageous and sickening targeting of Elon Musk.
Again, I’ve made my disagreements with some of this man’s ideas and ventures plain on these pages. But life shouldn’t be one-sided! ALL Democrats are not bad, just like EVERYTHING President Trump or Elon Musk do is not wrong! Do I even really need to say this?!
We can disagree about Trump’s policies. I think that, by and large, he and those who work for him are taking care of long-ignored, serious issues in America. And in regards to Elon Musk, I can see his genius, and I believe his selfless desire to put everything he has at risk in order to help fix these issues.
That’s admirable.
Again, we all see things a little (and sometimes a lot) differently. Isn’t that okay? Isn’t that actually a good thing, that we live in a country that’s at least free enough to still allow that, at least technically?
Blind absolutism is a real problem in America today.
I get that many Americans do not agree with the methods or even substance of what Elon Musk is doing through DOGE. Fair enough. And they feel frustrated–feeling they can’t DO anything about it. This is after the recent election where they LOST. Yes, that’s not fun, but “we” as Republicans went through the same thing when we saw a man running a campaign out of his basement who couldn’t draw a crowd to save his life, supposedly “winning” the last Presidential election!
Come on now, we have eyes!
You see, this “aggrievement” thing cuts both ways.
The Lazy Way Out
Those who committed violence on “January 6” felt very similar, I’m sure, to those who are going out and vandalizing Teslas now. They felt that something UNJUST was done “to them,” and they’ve lashed out in destructive ways.
This cycle endlessly repeats because it is human nature to feel self-righteous–OUR actions in response to “injustice” are right–and others we disagree with are wrong.
What I have noticed, is that few people actually USE the power they have. For example, very few Americans are actually involved in the process of improving their communities. Politics is part of that improvement. A certain percentage of us vote. A whole lot of us don’t even do that. How many of us actually educate ourselves on the candidates and issues before we vote? And very few of us are involved in making sure our elections are free and fair. Yet, many of us are quick to complain that our elections are not legit.
In short, most people would rather complain than actually DO something constructive for their communities, states, and country. Remember when Democrat President John F. Kennedy famously implored, “Ask NOT what your country can do for YOU. Ask what YOU can do for YOUR COUNTRY!’
It’s time we regain that attitude.
The Media Continues to Pour Gas on the Fire
Every day I see shockingly-biased coverage of President Trump and Elon Musk. For instance, The Drudge Report is highlighting those who are actually committing VIOLENCE and what amounts to domestic TERRORISM against fellow Americans!
The Drudge Report has been promoting articles about a website called “Dogequest,” which has been created to dox (expose the personal information of) Tesla owners nationwide. I’ve been following The Drudge Report for a very long time. Matt Drudge, the originator of the site, used to be conservative and a Trump supporter during the 2016 campaign. But something happened during that period, and Matt Drudge flipped into being a Trump hater. That is obvious, watching the content of “his” site (there have been rumors for years now that Matt Drudge sold The Drudge Report, but those rumors have never been fully confirmed).
The Drudge Report, and most of the rest of the Media, have chosen to pretty much bury this week’s SpaceX dramatic rescue of astronauts who were left in space for months.
This sums up my point that hatred of our political opponents darkens our hearts and makes us unwilling to give credit where it is due, and can also make us ignore the faults of those on “our team.”
This is dangerous, which should go without saying, and it must be overcome if we are to have any chance of returning to “ONE nation under God.”
It’s well past time for “rational” Democrats to take a pause on bashing Trump and Musk, and start to call out the excesses of “their own.” Ignoring or excusing domestic terrorism is no way to run a political Party.
Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He promotes natural health, success, and freedom during chaotic times.
