The fact that there is outrage at the idea that a Senator might do his Constitutional duty by evaluating nominees rather than rubber-stamping them is deeply distressing for the state of our federal government, no matter *what* the issue is.
Yes, precisely. It's part of a disturbing trend of "we must stand behind the President no matter what" that's been building since September 11th. Mindlessly supporting the President is neither virtuous, nor patriotic, nor productive. _I_ don't agree with everything that comes out of the mouths of politicians I generally support -- I don't have to. It doesn't work that way.
Your position on abortion sounds very similar to mine. I'm uncomfortable with it and dislike pro-choice extremists, but I absolutely can't bring myself to side with the pro-life movement. I find that the movement (as a whole, generally not individual followers), after you take away the radical fringe who want to kill abortion doctors, is still one of the nastiest, most vicious, least compassionate political movements in the country.
Yeah, it's a problem for me. I sometimes hesitate to call myself pro-life because of the negative connotations, but it's the most accurate description of my position, and I want people to know that not all pro-lifers are nutjob radicals with no sense of reality, nor are they all Christians, nor are they all Republicans, etc.
One of the problems is that while it's okay to say "Well, no one likes abortion", it's less okay to put forth sane ideas about how to have fewer of them. It's at the point where neither side will budge, for fear of looking weak or letting their position slip, losing supporters on one side or the other.
Each side has so viciously demonized the other that I suspect it may be up to the quiet, moderate middle to do the work of actually solving the problem of unwanted pregnancies.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-09 12:20 pm (UTC)Yes, precisely. It's part of a disturbing trend of "we must stand behind the President no matter what" that's been building since September 11th. Mindlessly supporting the President is neither virtuous, nor patriotic, nor productive. _I_ don't agree with everything that comes out of the mouths of politicians I generally support -- I don't have to. It doesn't work that way.
Your position on abortion sounds very similar to mine. I'm uncomfortable with it and dislike pro-choice extremists, but I absolutely can't bring myself to side with the pro-life movement. I find that the movement (as a whole, generally not individual followers), after you take away the radical fringe who want to kill abortion doctors, is still one of the nastiest, most vicious, least compassionate political movements in the country.
Yeah, it's a problem for me. I sometimes hesitate to call myself pro-life because of the negative connotations, but it's the most accurate description of my position, and I want people to know that not all pro-lifers are nutjob radicals with no sense of reality, nor are they all Christians, nor are they all Republicans, etc.
One of the problems is that while it's okay to say "Well, no one likes abortion", it's less okay to put forth sane ideas about how to have fewer of them. It's at the point where neither side will budge, for fear of looking weak or letting their position slip, losing supporters on one side or the other.
Each side has so viciously demonized the other that I suspect it may be up to the quiet, moderate middle to do the work of actually solving the problem of unwanted pregnancies.