ChooseTheHero.com

Conciliatory challenges

I really appreciate the gesture. I do. But sometimes a hug isn’t
enough.

Mark Hemingway and Ramesh at NRO today linked “from 52 to 48 with
love,” a cam-shot project reminiscent of that one site that
came up after GWB’s 2004 victory. It’s treacly, and the gesture I
am sure is well-meant, considering the propensity of youthful
participants. Mark, bless his heart,
has been receiving grief.

Judging by the torrent of email, my post below seems to
have struck a nerve. By linking to such a shiny happy display, I
wasn’t suggesting anyone immediately make peace with an Obama
administration. Especially since most liberal attempts at
reconciliation during the Bush years amounted to “Oh, hey — would
you mind picking up the soap?” As one reader put it, “I’m more
inclined to dress my wounds, restring my bow, and plan my
counterattack than I am to hold hands and sing Kumbaya.”

Fair enough. But I do think that after eight years of “He’s not
my President” bumper stickers and trying to put Karl Rove under
citizens’ arrest for his role in unconstitutional mattress tag
removal, it’s probably necessary that we be the adults here. And
that includes acknowledging when overtures are made to make things
less rancorous.

Many of us are graceful to the other side in defeat, because we
have seen what it has cost them to be so acrimonious for years. I
can not live my life like that. I am a patient, incremental
political thinker and advocate, but I am not immortal. So in
defeat, be gracious. In conflict, be ruthless. In victory, retain
one’s soul.

I want to give these kids the benefit of the doubt. They have
been led to believe that this has been a disgusting, hateful
campaign and that they have spent the past eight years of their
lives in a climate of hate. But the seventh photo down has a classy
challenge to the 52, and features a photo of the greatest American
president ever:

When free speech rights of conservative voices on the
radio are stomped on by Obama & Pelosi, will the “52″ object?

When secret ballots of prospective union members are done away
with by Obama & Pelose, will the “52″ say anything?

If a conservative president is elected in 2012, will today’s
“52″ be as gracious as the “48″ today?

Cute photographs and catchy sloganse are nice but what really
counts is whether you’ll walk your talk. There’s a word for those
who won’t: Hypocrisy!

Yes, we are all rooting for the same team, and that is the
success of America. I want the 52 to know that our opposition isn’t
mean to lead the country to its failure. It’s because we believe
that when the President is about to lead us down to a dangerous
path we will not sit idly by and be quiet.

But beyond the small reprimand, I, too have a message for the
52.

When you were less than 52, and you called upon the
assassination of the President, did we demand a government reprisal
for your political speech? When McCain/Palin supporters marched the
streets of NYC to express themselves, were you there to shout them
down? Were you there offering the middle finger? When you, as one
of the 52 who supported Obama, wore a shirt calling Governor Palin
a “c__t,” were you aware of the irony in your behavior?

Do you offer your hands in reconciliation merely because you are
victorious? Had we been the 48, but still won the electoral
college, and your Dear Leader offered words of conciliation, would
you have followed his lead? When we offer No Cover in the
House for Pelosi’s overreaches, so much so that we can
present her largesse for you to judge, will you give us the benefit
of the doubt?

We share certain common goals:

• You may want a more educated public. I do, too, but not if it
  means that our students and their parents will not have the choice
  through school vouchers, among other things. Not if it means that
  our children will be indoctrinated by Leftist teachers. Not if it
  means that when one of our children go to school carrying our
  family values and beliefs, they will be
  publicly humiliated by their teachers. Not if it means that we
  will need a teacher’s license to home-school our children, as if
  working from home weren’t sacrifice enough.
• You may want “universal” health care. I do, too, but not if it
  means that the government will have a massive say in how we treat
  our bodies. Not if it means that we may lose our jobs for eating
  unhealthy food, or smoking, or drinking. Not if it means that our
  choice of doctors will be limited. Not if it means that our doctors
  themselves will have to have the means they recommend pre-approved
  by some pencil-pusher who thinks they know what is better for a
  patient.
• You may want a “greener environment.” I do, too, but not if it
  means regulating to death aspects of our personal lives. Not if it
  means that our choices of energy solutions are hobbled by an “if it
  isn’t perfect, it isn’t good enough” approach.
• Finally, you may want peace on earth and mercy
  mild. I do, too, but not if it means that we will bring
  our soldiers home in shame and defeat. Not if it means that we will
  not finish the job in Afghanistan. Not if it means that we will
  leave the relatively free nations of Eastern Europe defenseless
  against a resugent Russia. Not if it means that we will leave G-d’s
  children in Israel to fend for themselves against Iran.

To the 52: we are not that different. We share common goals. But
if you ever care to listen about how you and the 48 differ, it’s in
the means. It’s in the methods. Our respective sides will always
believe our methods are better. This is life.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 1:10 am and is filed under McCain Palin Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.