A Procrastinator’s Musings

Republicans. I hate them SO much.

Let’s go back a few years. I was young and naive. I was new to politics. And I hated the concept of political parties. I don’t know whether it was because I grew up in India and the only thing BJP and Congress did well was point fingers. I don’t know whether it was because I was an idealist (doubtful). I don’t know whether it was because I had no idea what it was like to see a working political system.

Besides the point. I hated parties. Democrats and Republicans. What was the point?!

Then I got more interested in politics. I wanted to make some sort of difference. I wanted to take just a little bit of control of the way our political system governed our lives. And, most importantly, I realized that one has to work within the system to reform it. Hard choice to make, but one that I now believe in strongly. For better or worse, I decided to get involved with the Democrats. The choice was obvious – slight economic differences aside, they were fundamentally closer to my viewpoints about the world, and more importantly, my viewpoints about governing philosophies and policies.

Then came Obama. This is not the post to wax eloquent about Barack Obama. For more on that, refer to two posts ago. But it is important to mention that Barack Obama is a Democrat, and one who won office as President of the United States. A Democrat in the White House. A Democratic House of Representatives. An almost fillibuster-proof Democratic Senate. And to top it all off, a President who believed not in rolling over oppositions with majority of numbers but in working with alternate viewpoints and compromise. Too good to be true?

At first I thought it was. There was no way the Democrats would listen to the Republicans after 8 years of Bush. There’s no way a Democratic President would care about the Republican Party, the same one that produced George W. Bush. But it wasn’t too good to be true. Obama listened. Even Pelosi listened. Rahm Emanuel put away the half-finger and compromised. Certainly, this government will bring change to Washington. Right?

Wrong. Did it matter that Obama visited Capitol Hill to personally discuss his stimulus plan and ask for the Republicans’ suggestions? No. Did it matter that he invited both Democratic and Republican leadership to the White House to produce a compromise that pleased both sides? Wrong. Did it matter that Obama put aside his belief in spending and put more tax cuts in the stimulus package than even the Democrats in Congress were happy to concede? No. A thousand times no.

Every single Republican voted down the stimulus bill in the House. Twice.

Three Republican Senators voted for the stimulus bill. Three. Out of 41 Republicans.

That is disgusting. Not once in the 8 years of George W. Bush – in the 8 years of the most idiotic presidency in recent memory – were the Democrats so disdainful of the American President and so uncaring for the American people. They voted for the Iraq War to support the troops. Debate about the wisdom of that vote aside, the Democrats never completely deserted the political process in such a partisan and disruptive manner.

And yet, in a time of emergency, in a time where more Americans are suffering nationwide than at any other time since the Great Depression, the Republicans care more about their electoral victories than policy to aid the American people. They care more about a national debt (which, by the way, was built up almost single-handedly by one of their own) than the expenditure of money out of citizens’ pockets to protect the citizens from suffering and even death. They’re playing with people’s livelihoods and health over arguments of economics! People, where is the sanity in this?

And that is aside from the economic argument. The wisdom of tax cuts compared to stimulus spending is foolhardy, at best. Government spending and creation of jobs is essential at this time where America needs recovery and investment, and the Republicans just care about giving the rich more money back in their pockets.

There was a time when I hated partisanship and believed in compromise. There was a time when I believed that the political system would benefit most from leaders working together across the nation. But, apparently, there is one group in our country that cannot look past the “R” in their title. They cannot realize that they’re there not to represent the Republican Party, but to represent the constituents that cast a ballot for them. They cannot realize that the American political system is created to promote debate and compromise, not gridlock and stubbornness.

If I, at the age of 19, can go from a desire to compromise to a state of complete loathing for the Republicans, surely there’s something they’re doing wrong! I’m almost at the point where I wish President Obama started completely ignoring the Republicans and using the Democratic majorities to his benefit. I almost wish that Pelosi had the privilege of being able to streamroll over the Republicans’ protests.

I believe strongly in the American political system. I believe that the founders did a masterful job of protecting the rights and opinions of people from all across the nation and from different backgrounds. I just wish that the Republicans realized that they’re part of something bigger than a political party. I wish they’d realize that the American people care more about their jobs and a prosperous future for their children than economic philosophies. And I wish I didn’t hate the Republicans. But I do. So much.