Sherpa’s Election Day Manifesto

This has been a long day coming but due to my rising blood pressure, I can’t keep quiet any longer. So here’s my little diatribe on politics and this campaign that (thanks heaven) is winding down.

Come on people! Are your political beliefs more important to you than the way you treat each other?
One of the keystones to a great Democracy is the free interchange of ideas. Yes, this is an important election year, but is the stakes so great that we forget that there are some things more important than whether or not so and so wins the ticket.
Calling someone who disagrees with you politically stupid or an idiot? That’s not funny, and it doesn’t exactly create a cordial environment.
Using the “You’re either with us or against us” slogan? That’s so 2001. Even then, it wasn’t the most logical bit of persuasion.
I’m not going to cite scriptures or conference talks or even Mr. Rogers, but let’s try and get a long a little better. Tolerance isn’t a dirty word.
I know individuals feel the stakes are very high in this election, and because of that people are getting a little carried away, but there’s no reason we can’t still discuss the issues, disagree and still be friends.
Arguing is fun, but at the end of the day, agreeing to disagree and carrying on a civil conversation? Priceless.
Personally, one Political Party isn’t out to destroy the free world, and even in warfare there’s the Geneva

Politics is not a Hallmark Movie!
Don’t try to tug at my heart-strings with your “I’m Proud to be an American schpeel.” Lee Greenwood has its place…at rodeos or country fairs, but not in trying to win over someone to your cause.
Don’t try to get emotional and tell me the end of your world is nigh unless I vote a certain way. I may agree with you and still get really annoyed with the fact that you are turning politics into a after school special. See, its really hard to argue normative values, and normative positions should probably stay out of political speech. The subjective is just that, subject to change from person to person.

"Your America may not be my America but it still can be our America"
Everyone has a little different idea of what America is. What America is to me is probably different than it is to you, and everyone else. However, preaching to me what America is isn’t going to sway me in your direction. America is a plurality and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Personally, I know a lot of very educated people who are well-versed in political literature and the Founding father’s canon. These people are libertarians, liberals, conservatives, and leftists. I’ve seen where people of similar backgrounds look at the same article and process it differently, and arrive to different conclusions politically. That doesn’t mean that one is smarter or dumber than another.

“The Founding Fathers are like the Scriptures and Ghostbusters-Don’t use them for Evil…”

Using the Founding father’s as a trump card is lame. Yes, they were very influential and what they did was inspired and even sacred. I enjoy reading their writings many people do, but as a trump card saying argument is over? I’m sorry, but that’s lame. There’s been inspired men that have led this country since then, and there’s inspired political thought being written even now.

“Republicans are for less government and Democrats are for more government”
“Republicans are out to make sure everyone has a gun and take out abortionists and are religious bigots”
Although there’s some truth to the first statement above, that’s a straw man fallacy. So is the second statement.

As far as Prop. 8 goes-to me that's a state's right issue. I understand why the LDS church supports it, and I'm okay with that. But i'm not a California resident, and even though the outcome may affect us all in the future, some of the behavior I've seen on both sides makes me shudder. Even though its a very passionate subject, I'm still a little horrified on the nature of discourse. On both sides. Maybe I'm wrong, but publically displaying acts of intolerance of your position doesn't make your position more right. Calling others religious bigots isn't exactly civil.

Then there's ad-hominem. Really, we're all hypocrites. Saying so and so is a hypocrite is a given. Your candidate is a hypocrite. I'm a hypocrite, you're a hypocrite. Why? Because no one is perfect. Hypocrisy is really, really easy to find, and its one of the oldest political tricks in the book.

Is it a pipedream to be wish for a civil atmosphere to discuss debates? Perhaps. Has there ever been a civil atmosphere politically? Even the Founding Fathers never had it, but personally, I honestly believe its not necessarily the issue you're backing but how you treat your opposition. Oh sure, there's a way to win politically, but it the right way to win? You tell me. There will always be dirty politics, as long as there's asses and elephants in our midst perhaps. Oh sure, maybe I should be better off singing kumbaya along a campfire, but as someone who adores the political process, government and the ilk, and is somehow less and less partisan the past few years, this is where I'm coming from. Don't try to discredit me or others by telling me how much education, how well read or versed you are in politics. Just discuss with me, and your education and intellect will come through. Personally, telling me who or what you are does little for me, just be and do and I'll respect you all the more-
If you reached this far, thanks for reading my rants. I could go into more detail, and there's a few other bits I could talk about but this will suffice for this election. I apologized if I alienated some people who read this blog. I still love ya!