Politics? Purple is Ideal

I'm wearing purple for the third day in a row. (Yes, I have 3, actually 4 I think purple shirts.) On Wednesday I wore purple because it is my favorite color and it helped me feel better. I thought that was the only reason at the time. Yesterday I just grabbed purple again and didn't really think anything of it. Today it hit me.

As I was watching the final election results and reading all the tweets on Twitter there was a call for no more red, no more blue - how about purple? I remarked at the time that I didn't think it was possible. What with all the hate filled diatribes, and mocking of all of the candidates, even as they were giving their concession speeches it didn't seem to me that the America we live in today was really capable of blending into purple.

I had planned on breaking down all of the attacks, from both sides in this space today, to talk about how wrong it is to hate because someone is different. But this is a lesson we all have learned long ago. Right?

Isn't it right to respect another's opinions or viewpoints even when they differ from our own? From the sandbox forward we've heard this, we've preached it, and we've passed it on to our children who we pray will pass it onto theirs.

When it comes to politics however we throw all that out the door. Anybody who is not on our side of the aisle is - well they're just not right. Right?

So here is my question - why does there have to be an aisle? Why do there have to be sides?

Shouldn't we all be on the same side?

I watched the president elect’s first speech after he won the election. He was very respectful in his comments toward Senator McCain, citing the service, the dedication of a man who can arguably be described as having given more for this country than any of us could ever give, or imagine we might give. The president elect gave a speech that was filled with hope. It was filled with promise. If we can accomplish even half of what Barack Obama talked about in his speech Tuesday night, well Wow!

But you know what? We can only do that together. We can only do that if we're purple, and we need to be that way for a long time.

The political process, the way the system works is broken. I personally believe it is damaged beyond comprehension. Still in four years the majority of our country will again repair to their respective sides of the aisle and we will start all over again, and it will happen again, and again, and again.

I'm not advocating the end of the political process and I'm not suggesting an 8 or more year term for our new president.

I'm presenting purple - the recognition that though there is a need to decide who leads, who is in charge, who governs, there is no need for the name calling, the bitterness, the hate. It is time to recognize that we are all ultimately on the same team, and we will succeed or fail together.

Please note - This post is not intended to support one side or the other. If you read it that way, I suggest you read it again. I don't believe in sides. I believe in purple.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jimbro,

Listening to a conservative talk show radio after the election, I heard the host berate a McCain conspiracist to the tune of that they needed to get over it and that while we may have differences, we need to work together. I was greatly surprised and it made me think quite a bit. Being in the anti-bush camp, I was not as rational or even tempered after the 04 election. I do remember one of my parents saying that you follow the president whichever party they may come from and maybe that's a lesson I'm now learning. Anyway, I am in the process of aligning with your stance (hopefully not too wide j.k.). This site has a lot of positivity from both sides... http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/ McCain and Obama showed great respect for each other and asked that we work together moving forward. I agree.

Cat Herself said...

Have you watched McCain's speech of that night, too? I was very impressed. It was the old McCain that I might have been willing to vote for 4 years ago. He was noble, calling for people to come together to fix what is wrong. I loved both speeches, really - his and Obama's .

I agree - if Obama can accomplish even half of what he speaks about, we'll be a long way toward healing and improving our country.

Bravo for your post.

Jim Brochowski said...

BBB teammate - (I'm guessing), and Cat,

Thanks for your comments. I wrote this because the political process is so frustrating to me. I've always tried to be a responsible voter, learn the issues, know the people and what they stand for - and it is damn hard, as I'm sure you know.

So many for this election seemed to be driven just by the desire to see change, or to not see change as the case may be. While I don't question that motivation, I do question the vitriol that accompanied that - thus purple politics.

Cat, I did watch McCain's speech. You're right - he was very noble and I would say gracious in defeat. Pity so many in the crowd didn't seem to get the point and booed Obama anyway. It is a lot easier to be gracious in victory, but I think the true measure of a person is how they behave in defeat. Those folks lost out on an historic moment.

Still, I remain hopeful.