Politics ain't beanbag, but it ain't football, either

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March 25, 2009

Politics ain't beanbag, but it ain't football, either

Thanks to a couple of Twitter friends, I got to read something really enjoyable today. The post as a whole is a premise easy enough to argue with, I suppose, but at its core is this truth:

A rational citizen, by definition, praises and supports political leaders only when they do the right thing (regardless of motive), and criticizes and opposes them when they don't. It's just that simple. Cheerleading for someone because they're on "your team" is appropriate for a sporting event, not for political matters. Political leaders deserve support only to the extent that their actions, on a case-by-case basis, merit that support...

You might say that Greenwald is just stating the obvious. I mean, it seems clear enough, right? But how many people do you know--Republicans, Democrats, whatever--that need this reminder?

I've witnessed, and experienced myself, a mixed reaction to President Obama's first couple of months in office. I can no more stand the wanton worshiping from some on the Left than I can stomach the nearsighted naysaying from some on the Right.

Closer to home: I at first ran, then supported another contender, for an office which was won by the incumbent. Clearly I had an agenda that would have installed someone other than Ron Littlefield as Mayor of Chattanooga. However, now that the election is over, I consider it a productive and responsible plan to praise the ongoing administration when it makes sense--and, yes, to call them out when necessary.

So, even if I may question whether, as Glenn Greenwald suggests, progressives are better at displaying this political attitude than are their conservative counterparts (or, more to the point, I won't quibble over the numbers of each who will), I am glad he brought it up, because the real divide is between rational citizens (of whatever political stripe) and what can be described as shouters and haters, again from all sides of the center aisle.

Politics is Personal | By joe lance | 10:06 PM

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