Is The Other Side Really Evil?

Buried within an article on the tussle in DC over the looming financial regulatory legislation is the following quote: “It's obvious that the Republicans are saying 'no' again to progress for America,” Reid said.

Really?!?

Now, setting aside, for a moment, the source of the quote and the target of the criticism, does anyone (other than party hacks who see horns protruding from the foreheads of folks in the other party) really believe that the Republicans are against “progress for America”? Do those of us on the R side of the aisle really think that the D’s are against progress for America? Are we stuck in that childish mindset that everyone who disagrees with us (on financial regulatory frameworks, for example) must be a 1-deminsional evil troll?

I would suggest that, no, in fact, most folks who reside on one side or the other of the political spectrum do not believe that the other side is rooting for the demise of America. Now, we may believe that the policies and methods embraced by the other side may inadvertently lead to the demise of America and the end of the world as we know it, but I don’t think many of us believe that the end of the world is the goal of most folks on the other side.

So, then, who the heck does Mr. Reid think he is fooling when he makes such a statement? Do they really think that the people who take the time to read their quotes in The Hill, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, etc. are dumb enough to believe that their Republican neighbor (the same one you have neighborhood BBQs with, your children go to Cub Scouts together, you hold lengthy conversations on the merits of a push mower versus a riding mower); do you really think that your Republican neighbor (or your D neighbor, if you’re an R) is doing everything in his power to destroy our nation? ...On purpose? You don’t think Steve, with whom you carpool up to the mountain for a weekend ski trip, is that evil, do you?

No? Then why do we speak in such terms? Why do we put up with our political leaders when they do so? Why can’t we insist that Harry Reid (and others) say something like this instead: “We believe our policy initiatives will lead to greater prosperity for our good country, and respectfully disagree with our colleagues who have different ideas on how to accomplish this goal.”

I suppose it’d be difficult to expect our elected representatives to use such congenial language if we, ourselves, don’t bother to do the same.

If we peer across the fence line at the neighbor with that yard sign and those bumper stickers, consider the swirling talk of conspiracy taking place in his den; wondering if the Jell-O mold brought in by their friends for the pot luck isn’t hiding secret documents about how to spread disinformation and discontent throughout the neighborhood; if all of that is going through our heads when our neighbors of different political parties walk by, and we vocalize these deep-seeded suspicions over the dinner tables with our families, or grumble about those denizens from Hades on the nightly news - how is it, then, that we can expect our elected leaders to do any less than the same?

It all makes me tired when I hear remarks like those of Senator Reid’s, today.

Is it possible that the folks in the other party aren’t evil incarnate? Is it possible that perhaps, just perhaps, they really are trying to do something good? Yeah, yeah, they’re going about it all wrong, and if they’re successful in implementing their ill-conceived plans the nation might actually suffer from it. But is it possible that they are simply mistaken, rather than pure evil? Because, let’s be honest, if you’re an American and you hope, plot, and seek for the end of America, you are evil. There’s not a whole lot of middle ground, there.

But I don’t suspect these folks are evil. I think they’re wrong, misguided, perhaps even stupid, but not evil. Of the 535 member of Congress, probably 3 or 4 are truly evil (I’m basing this on the law of averages, not on any Member in particular. I think it a mighty risky business judging another person’s soul). The others are either dumb, wrong, or just misguided.

But rather than giving the souls of the opposition the benefit of the doubt and delicately (or bluntly) stating that the R’s are incorrect in their policy positions, Harry Reid cast the wide net and called them all evil.

Thank you, Mr. Senator. Takes one to know one.