I Dreamed Of A Teapublican

 

 

Just before I woke up this morning, I dreamed of a Teapublican. I am aware of her via social media. I will call her Lisa.

I write for the political blog Addicting Info, and I utilize various websites and public Facebook pages for content. Lisa is one of the many Teapublicans I follow. She is also aware of me and has said some pretty nasty and scathing things about me, so my association with her feels more personal, even though we’ve never met.  While following her, I have learned a little bit about who she is. She has a pretty good sense of humor. She has sadness in her life, which she has made public. She loves to laugh. She loves her family. But because she is a Teapublican, she also picks on people – some celebrities, some political, and I will grant her they are fair game. But when she picks on them, she becomes quite nasty. She uses hatred to ‘entertain’ and it clearly works with her Teapublican following. They latch on to her negativity and when I see it, I feel anger. I get very upset with how divided we are as a nation.

I often use sarcasm in my articles and blogs when writing about politics. I don’t believe I have used hatred or been the ‘mean girl’ and I do make an effort to promote voting and making sure I am truthful, as well as backing up my work with valid sources. I have found that Lisa also uses sources but many of them are very much like FOX. She likes to source Breibart and Drudge often and they are not always – or even often – reporters of the truth. But I digress.

In my dream, Lisa and I attended some kind of conference. It’s a bit fuzzy, so please forgive the fact I am not super-detailed, but I think the conference was not political and it gave me a chance to view her as a woman, a mother and a person who might be a friend of mine if the parties weren’t so divided. In the last part of the dream, we were on a bench and she had a cute animal on her head (it made sense at the time) and I was cooing to the little critter. I looked at her and felt love (not romantic, just to be clear) but in that moment, I didn’t see her politics at all. I recognized that we have differing views but I genuinely felt love for her as a human being. I remember feeling so sad that we were unable to really connect because our political passions kept us on different sides and frankly, I cannot stomach the hate and lies she preaches to her loyal followers.

I wish to add that neither side—the left or the right—are completely innocent or perfect. If you are familiar with my opinion and writing, you know that I am often sarcastic and get in my zingers. I am not afraid to call out the trolls and I say it like I see it. Often the other side sees that as offensive. But I don’t lie and I don’t promote hate. Tea Party folks have called me an “ugly liberal,” “ slut,” and  “ baby killer.” I have been accused of being part of the left’s fringe and my personal favorite—on Twitter, a woman said I was a “disgrace to humanity.”  I have an agenda: I want people to vote. Of course, I want everyone to vote Democratic down the line on November 6, 2012 but more importantly, I want EVERYONE to wake-up and get their butts to the voting booths and let’s see what shakes out. It should be about what the majority wants.

Getting back to the dream: Before I woke up completely, I continued to dream about Lisa. I dreamed about writing this blog. A strong feeling overcame me and I felt like for some reason, even if only for me, I needed write about the fact I felt love for a person who in my waking hours offends me. It’s not that I think it will make any real difference or that all of a sudden, everyone will come together in love but maybe it’s just an exercise in compassion and an opportunity to not bitch about what ‘the other side’ is doing.

I’m sure as my lovey-dovey morning fog wears off and the caffeine kicks in, I’ll be back to reading her posts with my jaw on the floor and a complete sense of disgust. Before that happens, I just want to immerse in the idea that underneath it all, we all just want to be loved and happy. Maybe if Lisa were happier, she would see things differently. I don’t know. I DO care. And I hope the U.S. is able to overcome all that divides us. I believe with some real effort, we can —and with a second term for Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress, we will. (Ha ha – had to get that in there!!!)

 

 

Lawrence O'Donnell's Farewell To Andrew Breitbart









On Thursday evening The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell did a piece on the death of Andrew Breitbart. O'Donnell chose to focus on the positive side of Breitbart and recall a personal story where they met on the street while O'Donnell was on the way to a "liberal" party. The two, who were at odds publicly but were cordial privately, decided to attend the party together. O'Donnell reports that Breitbart stayed at the party long after he left and was engaging in a joyful conversation with a reporter who was also at odds with him publicly.

I saw a conversation on Twitter with Meredith: @jerzegrl and O'Donnell: @Lawrence discussing this. I wanted to chime in but this won't fit in a Tweet!

Meredith: All we saw of him was the "public" side. We didn't have the "pleasure" of knowing him the way you did. #Breitbart.  So you'll excuse some of us if we don't buy the "Trust us he was good people" argument.

O'Donnell: I understand that. You use the info you have in making judgments about people. I wasn't trying to change minds, just sharing memories.

While I admire anyone who will choose to stay on the positive side, I feel it's also important to recognize the truth of any situation. I do believe this is what O'Donnell does on a consistent basis. However, what O'Donnell didn't say last night was that Breitbart was part of a huge problem in America. Publicly he was very negative, which helped fuel the fire to the division this country is facing. This division is a cancer slowly eating away at the core of who and what our forefathers envisioned us to be.

I have seen some posts and commentary on social media that are ugly and not necessary, calling Breitbart names and expressing elation because this man has died. This does nothing to mend what's wrong with our country either. It actually increases the divide. But I think that only reporting on a fun night these two men had at a party is not serving the country. O'Donnell holds a high and important position and has influence. It's clear to me that his job is not only to report the truth but to somehow make a difference in a positive way. I would guess this is how he sees it too.

In my humble opinion, I believe Breitbart, as well as others who spew hatred needs to be addressed on a national level by an influential personality in a way that demonstrates how this negative rhetoric is tearing us apart as a nation. This doesn't mean that someone has to speak ill of the dead, rather the truth should be spoken with dignity and at the very least, suggestions tendered on how to move forward in a positive direction.

Reporting the truth of who someone was in life is not speaking ill of the dead. By only recounting a joyful experience O'Donnell had with Breitbart, I see an opportunity missed.