Living in the NYC area, I have plenty of wacky Progressive friends. They are really wacky these days. Of course, my Republican friends can be just as nutty, at times. It all depends on what you're discussing, though this should go without saying.
What's really crazy, though, is how one Progressive friend mentioned to me that polarization has reached "fever pitch" and the basis of her comment was the recent Congressional shooting. I shrugged and said it had been at that level for 24 years, really, and she'd simply chosen not to notice. Now that she's energized politically, it matters to her. No, no, no, she replied, that can't be it. It most certainly is.
All my Progressive friends are members of the #Resist movement. I am not a Trump supporter, but I'm not suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, either. He's had mixed results so far. Nothing outlandish, nothing crazy. I think he's accomplished quite a bit (both better and worse) for not passing a single piece of major legislation. His bluster and hyperbole bug me, but that's just talk and Tweets. I've seen and heard worse from regular politicians. Yet it's these words that set off the #Resist people. They go bonkers over every little thing! It's fascinating.
Prior to the election, when it seemed Hillary was a shoo-in, they were treading lightly, saying nice things like "Whoever wins, we should unify after the election, the nation needs to come together." Their hubris and expectation of a big win offered them the comfort to feel they could say this, with smug delight, to set off anyone who might consider Trump a viable vote. These are the same people that spent 8 years complaining about Republican filibustering and 'obstruction' of the Obama agenda. "Why can't the Republicans stop OBSTRUCTING when we want to get things done?" Well, smarty-pants, that's how the system works, isn't it? It's designed to prevent a tyranny of the majority, and your smug nonsensical philosophy is forcing tyranny down our throats.
So here we are, 5 months into a new president's tenure, and suddenly we're at "Fever Pitch?" I don't think so. I don't feel it. The problem is Progressives are at fever pitch. They see their tyrannical structure suffering setbacks, rollbacks, and dismantling. So now they are calling for "Obstruction! We must Obstruct!"
I asked yet another Progressive friend as he rambled on about obstructing legislation, "When is obstruction good? I'm just curious, because you opposed it for 8 years. Is it good when you support it and not when others do? What happened to the unity you wanted prior to the election regardless of who won?"
"I didn't expect this outcome, and the unity I wanted was to come together under an agenda of goodness, care and kindness, not the hatred Trump spews."
"Well," I replied, "I fail to see any hatred except from you and Progressives. I don't like Trump, but I haven't seen him hating on anyone except the people hating on him first. It seems you're creating a vicious cycle. Don't you think if obstruction was the 'problem' you'd oppose it regardless of who was performing it? I didn't dislike Republican obstruction, and I don't dislike the current Democratic obstruction. It seems to me the checks and balances designed to reduce governmental interference and action are what keep our nation functioning effectively. Those founders seem to have hit on something, don't you think?"
The crickets were pretty loud at that moment, but the fuming was evident as steam poured from her ears.
No, I didn't vote for Trump (or Hillary), but I have faith in the system more than I have faith in the people. You can't trust people, and the Founding Fathers knew this and wrote extensively about it in the Federalist Papers. The picture above shows items that 'create' a nation-state. The only thing we in the United States have that bind us together are two unique historical documents that embody a philosophy that has been unmatched in human history. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I'd argue the Articles of Confederation are a third, though they are largely forgotten. But these documents are things we can, and should always identify with and rely on to guide our principles. Some people think they are documents to use to generate change and create power opportunities. Others (more correctly) realize they are just guidelines on how to ALLOW change to occur naturally through individual activity and freedom. Keep the government out of our lives, off our backs and away from our homes and wallets (maybe it's too late for that...).
Today, these things are abused by politicians on both sides of the aisle. That is what is reaching a fever pitch, in my estimation. Political abuse.
I think real obstruction is a problem, but the only obstruction I've seen is taking place with the "Russian" investigation, and now the "Obstruction of Justice" investigation. While Progressives justifiably complain about Trump's Mar-a-Lago expenses, which are exorbitant, they are not questioning the amount of taxpayer money spent on frivolous investigations like these. Obstruction, indeed - the Democrats are experts at it.
