Hi, Friend or Relative who thinks my liberal friends and I are just too mean in our political discourse:

Sorry you feel that way.

If you are upset by the fact that people are disagreeing with you strongly, well, that’s political discourse for you.

And I hope you are not saying that the people on my page are being unusually or uniquely shrill in their political tone. Because if you are, you need to understand the ridiculous, relentless onslaught of lies, fabrications and downright seditious comments we see posted about the President EVERY DAY. He’s a Muslim, he hates America, he is working for the Muslim Brotherhood, he’s bisexual, he’s a Nazi, he’s a communist, he’s a socialist, he’s a Kenyan. Whatever. We NEVER DID THAT TO BUSH. We complained about his ACTUAL failings, not made-up ones.

We see government officials calling for Obama to be assassinated. REGULARLY.

And let’s review. This is a man Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman just called one of the most successful Presidents in American history: http://www.npr.org/2014/10/13/355904014/krugman-obama-more-transformative-than-clinton-reagan.

And this is the man Forbes Magazine (a magazine for the 1% if there ever was one) called the best economic President in American history: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2013/05/16/economically-could-obama-be-americas-best-president/

This is the man who saved our automobile industry, killed Osama Bin Laden, helped this country take a giant leap forward in gay rights, achieved the first significant health care reform since Medicare was instituted, and helped end Don’t Ask / Don’t Tell. Here’s a quick list of other things he’s accomplished:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php?page=all

And yet you continue to post anti-Obama posts. He’s such a bad leader, etc. That’s fine, that’s your privilege. You’re entitled to your opinion.

But to help you understand why some of my friends and I are so polarized, consider what we see from the Republican party. Here’s what we see:

1. A party which STILL maintains a national policy to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

2. Anti-gay governors like Oklahoma’s Mary Fallin who don’t understand the basics of how the judiciary works in this country and its place in the process:

MANY other republican officials and political figures have echoed her statement that it’s somehow “unconstitutional” for the courts to overrule a law. When, of course, that’s their exact function. When liberals are unhappy with court decisions, we criticize the decision, but we don’t make up new rules for how the courts are supposed to operate.

3. We see a party of science deniers, over and over. Remember how many hands went up during the Republican Presidential primary debates when asked who believed in evolution? The Republican party is also full of science deniers on global climate change. Global climate change is not up for scientific debate. The science is in. Same thing on evolution by natural selection. And yet the Republican party is full of representatives who use their power to pursue very harmful public policies based on their denial of basic science, mostly fueled by their own ignorant ancient superstitions.

4. We see a party that has waged a brutal war on women. From rape-defenders to contraception-bashers to abortion-banners, these are ALL REPUBLICANS.

5. More war on women: The Republican-controlled House consistently blocks laws that will provide income parity for women.

6. Same with raising the minimum wage.

7. We see a party full of powerful people who insist on rewriting American history (not to mention the Constitution) by attempting to enforce the idea that Christianity deserves special privileges, even though the Constitution makes it clear that it doesn’t. It’s NEVER Democratic forces that attempt to sneak creationism back into school curricula, or demand that Christian symbols be put on public land. It’s always Republicans.

8. Finally, we look up and see a party that has waged an astonishing campaign to restrict voter access, all in the name of the utterly phony issue of “voter fraud.” Without exception, these laws were enacted to minimize likely Democratic votes in the jurisdictions. Not a SINGLE ONE of these laws came from Democrats. ALL REPUBLICANS. And the courts are throwing these spurious laws out.

So, yeah, we see a party that hates gays, women, the poor, and the non-Christian, the non-white, the immigrant. We see a party whose strategy to win elections is to keep the other side from voting.

So, yeah, we’re polarized.

And for the record, Scott Walker IS a creep. He’s a union-busting creep. But notice that when he did something I thought was righteous I posted it on my Facebook page. When’s the last time you did that for Obama?

Another complaint I’ve heard you make repeatedly is that under Obama “we are losing our rights.” I’ve never gotten a good answer from you on which rights those are. Would you give me a list of, say, ten? Because there must be at least that many, considering how often this is said (not just by you, I hear it from the Right all the time).

You’re always welcome on my page. I hope you’ll stay. I don’t think I know everything. I don’t think my political positions are unshakeable. Convince me! And I promise, the minute someone is insulting to you, I’ll deal with it. ( I had to do that this week.) But if you don’t like our opinions, try to understand where they are coming from.

I will remain baffled that an intelligent, strong, moral person like you can hitch his or her wagon to a political party like The Republicans. But I’ll always listen if you try to explain it to me.