If you want to know what passion is, just go to a progressive group’s Facebook page. Within an hour of a post, there will be hundreds of comments. This is great. What is not great is that, very often, there are derisive and vitriolic comments aimed at the Republican party – the people, the leaders and the ideology. What is forgotten in the heat of passion is that whenever Democrats and Republicans are fighting against each other, the 1% are laughing. (Later in the article, there is a nuanced definition of the 1%, since it’s not helpful to vilify all of them.)
Rather than the 99% fighting the 1%, the reality in America is … 40% are fighting another 40%, some are neutral and the 1% are laughing.
Some readers may say, “Come on! How can you not detest Donald Trump and his followers, not make fun of Fox News and not hate those evil Republican politicians who are constantly blocking good legislation?”
Well, let’s take a step back and realize that politics is not a winner-take-all sport. Politics is more like a marriage. Your party needs to work with the opposition to get things done, especially in a divided nation and a divided Congress where preventing a legislation is a million times easier than passing a legislation.
Also, one must realize that most of the Democratic politicians are beholden to the same corporate and special interests as the Republicans – there is one puppet master behind two puppets. How many Democrats support labeling, let alone banning, GMO? How many Democrats support NAFTA, TPP or endless wars while paying lip service to unions, manufacturing jobs and peace? How many Democrats will support legislation to end the Federal Reserve Bank? How many Democrats get lucrative jobs as lobbyists after they leave politics? So let’s not get too attached to the political party apparatus.
Progressives must find a way to bury the hatchet and convince Joe Schmoe Republicans and Libertarians to join the fight for America. Here are four simple rules of engagement to deal with our comrades of different political hues:
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