Wednesday, March 31, 2010

ruminative cello solo

I find myself wondering how Grandma would have felt about this whole health care reform debacle...the final bill, the endless debating and finger-pointing, the violence that has suddenly, spontaneously erupted. I would have liked to talk to her about this, since she is the sanest conservative person I know, and the things she said didn't make me want to chew on people's computers, or make me go all snarly and squinty-eyed. She was smart...she'd be able to pick through the bill and come up with things that she didn't like, and then find reasons why they might appeal to people. And she wouldn't back down from a good debate.

Even though she always advised me not to discuss politics with boys. Maybe that was good advice, but now, after a two-day, knockdown fight with my boyfriend about the federal government in general spurred on by a comment made by a hater on Facebook, I have to wonder if I should have listened. If I shouldn't have made it clearer: Date 1, I am a Screaming Liberal. Right now I'm so tired of the whole thing I'm ready to just shut up and crawl into bed. I am an Optimist, a Joyful Soul and a Believer in the American Dream. He is somewhat older and more jaded.

I would also like to ask Grandma what to do about this. We never talked about how she and grandpa worked through their political differences, but I suspect they didn't really have any to speak of. Should have asked her about how she felt about the major reforms that were pushed through in her lifetime--the New Deal, the Civil Rights Act, Medicaid. Although, she voted for Roosevelt three times, she always liked to remind me, whenever I accused her of being a Republican.

There are so many things worth getting passionate for, worth losing friends and yes, even lovers for, but I'm not sure the current administration is one of them. I support President Obama (even when he sold me out and withdrew a moratorium on offshore drilling!) but then again, he's not going to be waiting for me with a home cooked meal when I come home from work. I can probably guess what Grandma's advice would be--this girl is intelligent, but she also loooooves to eat--but I...I just wish I could hear her say it.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I'd imagine by jumping on your soapbox and shouting or by threatening to burst through the internet to chew on another's computer is more likely to cause said party to tune you out instead of patiently listening to your side of the debate. Yes there are flaws. And lots of people from both sides are upset. Please, dear, stay calm. Agree to disagree. No minds are going to change on the topic for good or ill until the effects start taking hold. I love your passion for life and politics, but to be honest, that passion even alienates me sometimes. Just reading the facebook exchange I couldn't help but think I would never be able to convince you of any opinion other than the one you've already formed no matter how carefully I thought out my own arguments...and this coming from someone who largely agrees with you...

This bill's passage is making so many on both sides into over zealous idiots who speak before they think and act on emotion instead of reason. Don't succumb. We're all better than that.

I hope everything smooths over for you.

Nicki said...

Fair enough. I have just been feeling so attacked lately, and by people less well-informed and reasonable than yourself, that I finally decided it's time to see that I am just as passionate as your angry rightwingers. I have been accused of being over-emotional a lot in the past few days, and that is true, but I don't see why that's a bad thing. We all have things we are invested in. I have to get passionate about this, because it is not an abstract concept, it is life and death.

But if YOU are saying I need to take it back down past eleven, you who are the smartest of all of us...then maybe I do.

Peter said...

IF you call me we can talk about the whole fighting with a person you don't want to. I do have some experience with this.