Most would agree yellow-dog Democrats and their Republican
equivalents are not what make a democracy function well. I would rather elect
an honest, intelligent man (or woman) of the other party than a scurrilous imbecile of my
own. Most Americans exist on or near the line that separates conservatives from
liberals--and one can even make the case that it's less of a line and more a
gradual neutral zone. What defines a free democracy is civility toward those
who do not share our ideological beliefs, and to take that one step forward,
the ability to pay a complement when it is deserved. Nikki Haley has earned
such a compliment.
The past seven Republican responses to the State of The
Union have been a parade of awkward pandering idiots, half of who didn't seem
to believe the manure they shoveled toward the camera. Bobby Jindal was the
foremost of these moronic retorts with his uncomfortable and creepy presence.
There's some justice in that a fellow Indian-American would be the vindicator
of the party at large.
Nikki Haley looked the most comfortable and most assured of
her predecessors last night in the opposition's response, but she also took a
risk none of them ever did by calling out those in her party who would spread
the rhetoric of fear and hatred to cull a vote from the most ignorant of citizens.
She did it with grace and poise, never directly naming the candidates (but we
know who they are) and reaffirmed what we believe as Americans regardless of
party race or creed. The Republican Party needed a response like hers to regain
its credibility as the party of Lincoln.
Thank you Nikki Haley for reminding me that although I do
not agree with your politics, I can trust you to responsibly carry out your
duties as a leader in this nation; that the world is not over when your guy
doesn't win because as Americans we are all winners and the things that divide
us are not nearly as numerous as those things which bind us together. 
No comments:
Post a Comment