Hmmm…

I subscribe to the free version of Steve Schmidt’s Substack writings. This means that sometimes I only get a “sample” of something he’s written (just enough to arouse my interest). This was the case with the one I received in today’s email. While he undoubtedly had more to say, the paragraph that ended the “teaser” copy was a bit unsettling, to say the least, and I wasn’t quite sure how to decipher what he wrote.

However, having read a fair amount of Steve’s other writings, I do tend to think there’s more than meets the eye in this brief extract. Nevertheless, taking it as a stand-alone, I must say it did leave me wondering.

What is your reaction? Is this accurate? Is it truly how the party is seen by some?

The Democratic Party of 2022 is America’s elitist party. It is snobbish, preening, arrogant and profoundly out of touch. It is a coastal party that disdains the values, dignity, integrity and ethic of millions of Americans who don’t have a college degree. The Democratic Party treats working class Americans with contempt. It has been observed that today’s Republican Party would sicken Ronald Reagan. It would. The more important question for the moment though is this: what would John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman and FDR think about today’s Democratic Party? Would they recognize it?

And to take it a step further … what would be your answer to his last two questions?

Tulsi Gabbard’s Big (?) Decision

I’m sure many –if not most– of you have read about Tulsi Gabbard’s recent defection from the Democratic Party. Following are the reasons she listed in her Twitter post (as reported by ABC News). After you read them, I have a couple of things for each of you to consider.

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are hostile to people of faith & spirituality, demonize the police & protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, dragging us ever closer to nuclear war.”

I know it will be extremely difficult, but I want you to read her remarks again and this time, try to see them from the “other side’s” point of view. I’m asking you to do this because this is exactly how the Republicans see the policies and goals of the Democrats. Yes, she has thrown in some uncomplimentary adjectives, but AT ITS CORE, what she has written is a common perspective among Republicans.

Now I realize I may get pushback on this but in my opinion, she did make a couple of valid points. In particular, the one about Democrats being hostile to people of faith and spirituality. The blog world has demonstrated this on more than one occasion.

And Democrats do approach immigration much differently than Republicans. (I’m not asking for discussion on this … just making a point.)

Please understand, I’m not defending Tulsi or her decision. I think many Democrats have questioned her political stance for quite some time, so this move is NO surprise. But I do think some of the things in her statement carry some validity. (However, knowing my reading audience, I’m sure I’ll get pushback. 😉)

P.S. For additional reading related to her claim about Democrats being a “cabal of warmongers,” see this article. It’s dated 2020, but worth a look-see. And here is more on her decision if you’re at all interested.

Extremism in Today’s Politics

The linked article (below) was written by Ruben Navarrette, a columnist for The Washington Post. It was published in our local newspaper and as soon as I saw the title, I knew I had to read it.

The writer’s thoughts/comments revolve around the recent Supreme Court landmark decision related to Roe vs. Wade, but he also goes deeper into the political “extremism” that bombards us everyday. Here is one of his leading remarks:

When a major event happens, partisans are going to try to spin it to suit their own agenda. One camp will claim that it’s nothing, while the other camp insists that it’s really something.

As always, I’ll be interested in your opinions/reactions to the article.

Memo to both political parties: Americans are sick of extremism

(If you are unable to read the article due to limited access, Click Here for a pdf version.)

If …

In response to an EXCELLENT post recently written by the “Ohio Realist” at OnTheFenceVoters.com, Keith, who is another regular blogger, wrote a comment that I felt needed wider exposure.

Keith has been both a Republican and a Democrat … and is now an Independent because (as he shares on his “About” page), he was “disillusioned by the extreme points of view of both parties.” He now describes himself as a “moderate left thinker.”

In many instances, I have found his political views are quite similar to my own.

In any event, the following is not his entire response to the referenced post but it is the portion that most impressed me. Perhaps you will identify with his words as well.

Quite simply, if addressing climate change more dramatically is a concern, do not vote for a Republican. If civil and women’s rights are an issue, do not vote for a Republican. If doing something about health care costs and access is an issue, do not vote for a Republican. If job creation and retraining are issues, do not vote for Republican (note jobs created under the same number of Democrat White Houses as Republican ones since 1922 have been twice the numbers as under GOP ones). If integrity matters do not vote for a Republican as the party is aligned against its truth tellers and support the white paint can carrying whitewashers telling us things did not happen and the former president did not lose an election he lost.

Democrats are not perfect. Never have been. But, we must vote for people who are at least talking about issues and not contrived and exaggerated ones.

Top Democrat goes megaviral, gives SPEECH OF THE YEAR (Repost: Scotties Toy Box)

Top Democrat goes megaviral, gives SPEECH OF THE YEAR