For 17 Sundays most of the nation joins with the likeminded, typically sitting on the family room sofa, sometimes in our favored garb, cheering on our favorite team. Like this past weekend… some rooted for Denver instead of New England, Pittsburgh instead of Baltimore, and St. Louis instead of San Francisco. We enthusiastically and loyally cheer for our team. “Who dey” and “Go Bengals,” for example, were heard multiple times, echoing loudly amid our household (… yes, some days it’s hard to be a Bengals’ fan). But let’s face it: not only are we zealously rooting for our team, we are also actively rooting against the other.
Today, however, is Tuesday; it’s not Sunday. Yet with today’s midterm elections, it seems many have the two days confused.
Many highly intelligent people are rooting zealously for their team — and — actively rooting against the other. Many of the elect are encouraging us to do exactly that. From Pres. Barack Obama to congress to our local municipalities, many are encouraging us to choose sides — to choose a single side — choosing only one team. It’s as if only one team can win.
[Sigh.]
It’s not that I don’t believe certain candidates are better. It’s not that I don’t believe certain policies are wiser. Wisdom and foolishness exists across all parties.
I will add that no party’s candidates have cornered the market on integrity, and the Intramuralist will always support a man or woman of integrity before a candidate who shares a preferred party (note: I don’t have a preferred gender or ethnicity). That’s one of the most significant, gaping, moral loopholes that seemingly intelligent people seem to miss. They fight for their party. They don the favored garb. But they forget that not all people of all parties are good — they aren’t all men and women of integrity; they also forget that both Pittsburgh and Baltimore have good people on their team; hence, it’s understandable that some would favor the plays of the Steelers to the Ravens or the Ravens to the Steelers. It’s not so understandable to rhetorically vilify an entire team in order to propel oneself or one’s party; such seems a silly exercise for the otherwise intelligent to embrace.
This past weekend Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) joined in a conference call with progressive activists, attempting to help a Democrat keep hold of Iowa’s currently open Senate seat. He said of his desired candidate, “Bruce Braley is a fine man. He has a good record of public service.” Of his opponent, Joni Ernst, Reid said, “She’s so out of line with mainstream Iowans… she has spent the entire campaign talking about what she did as a young girl, castrating animals.”
Friends, please vote for the person of your choice, but don’t be influenced by Reid’s words; they aren’t accurate. They are part of an inflated rhetoric designed to prompt us to put on our partisan garb and root actively against the other team. Democrats and Republicans alike join in this exercise; it’s as if they are attempting to get us to hate the other team — to turn a blind eye to the fact that there may exist candidates of integrity on both sides of the ballot.
This past Sunday the Jacksonville Jaguars visited Cincinnati’s “Jungle” on week 9 of the NFL’s regular season. We were (obviously) rooting for the Bengals, but we no longer cheered actively against the team from North Florida. We were changed by this past summer, when my family had the opportunity to visit extensively with several of the Jaguar players, including blossoming rookie, star quarterback, Blake Bortles. Blake was very intentional with my sons; he was especially good with my child with special needs. While the Jaguars lost the game Sunday, thanks to Blake, we had no doubt there were people of integrity on both sides.
Maybe all those talking about today’s ballots should recognize that, too.
Respectfully…
AR