CIVIL DISCOURSE

The Purgatory of Donald vs. Joe

We are missing the point, and you still won’t believe me after reading this — even though we agree

“All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.” — Swami Vivekananda

We are in a living hell.

Up until this point, we have managed by name-calling each other racists, haters, communists, faggots, and rednecks.

It has worked. The news networks love it, advertisers are making a lot of money. The more we hate, the more money there is to be made by corporations, politicians, and the wealthy.

The problem is that we aren’t getting anywhere and our mental health continues to plummet. People may think they are winning on social media and in arguments.

Yet in every victory there is defeat.

We are all losing.

Split

For anyone who wants to argue about the accuracy of polls, let’s recall the 2016 US presidential election where the entire world knew Hillary would beat Donald.

How wrong we were. My children and wife still remind me of my blind arrogance.

Polls are a snapshot of emotional state. They change quickly, and new information on a person or issue can flip the data.

One thing that is clear, not just in the US but worldwide, is that people are split down the middle when it comes to political parties. This has been the case in the US for decades. Just looking at the data back to 2004 from Axios, we see an even split between identifying as Democrat or Republican.

But this data also shows a significant shift.

Almost half of the country identifies as Independent. I am Independent. I officially left the Democratic party a few years ago — which is no easy task — and now do not vote party lines. I understand firsthand why people are tired of their respective parties, and I acted on it.

While the news wants to highlight our differences, what is always most revealing about the polls is how much we have in common.

The CNN poll bangs the same drum we have heard for years.

Echo Chamber

The latest CNN poll shows Trump leading Biden 47% to 46%.

This is a statistical tie for what will most definitely be the party candidates. The liberals can hope that a charge will keep Trump out of office, and the conservatives can hope that Biden steps aside. But these aren’t in the cards.

These are two arrogant and myopic individuals. We are stuck with them. We are stuck with them because we continue to repeat the same failures.

What is most interesting about the poll is not the data but the reaction to the data. CNN analysts continued to whine about the fact that half the voters supported Trump. They could not have an objective discussion of the data because of their political bias. The same is true of FOX.

This is where we fail as a country. Instead of asking questions, we judge. Instead of trying to understand how people feel, we demonize them.

Why aren’t the news networks asking why Latinos, women, people of color, LGBs, and immigrants are supporting Trump? Why are some traditional Republicans supporting Biden?

We focus too much on the data and not the underlying story.

I came to understand this about ten years ago as a devoted Democrat from the most liberal part of California. I grew up believing my truth was the truth. I could not understand how others could not agree with the idea of my party. It was my conservative friends and the 2016 election that awakened me to the reality of the world.

I was living in an echo chamber and ignoring the concerns of half of the country. I felt the policies I was supporting would be helping people, particularly the disenfranchised and lower income. But in my home city of San Francisco, we have seen how our policies lead to greater homelessness, more crime, a collapse of the downtown, and out-of-control substance abuse. I voted for these policies. They aren’t working. Even Gavin Newsom has admitted the failure of his policies on crime and homelessness.

The CNN poll shows that 58% of the country believes Biden’s policies have made the economy worse. Whether rational or not, when people don’t feel financially secure, they suffer.

This isn’t to say that Republican policies will fix these issues. The data is a broader statement of the complete dissatisfaction of our policies and politicians. But I know that both Republicans and Democrats have good ideas, and they both have bad ideas but won’t admit it.

Why can’t we work together to implement good ideas? Why not focus on our areas of agreement rather than our differences?

The summary of the poll is this: people don’t like Biden or Trump or either party. But this is what we get.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Purgatory

My belief in the upcoming election is that multiple independent (non-Dem or Republican) candidates are going to run and take 10% of the vote.

Trump wins the election.

This is unfathomable to many but it shouldn’t be. Just as a potential Biden win is unfathomable to many. We can point fingers but we have created this mess, and we continue to perpetuate the problem.

We are stuck in Dante’s Purgatory.

For Dante, Purgatory is not only where you pay for your sins but is where you reflect on those sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, glutton, and lust.

I am not a religious person but I believe in a spiritual realm. As I look at the list of seven sins, I find it remarkable how politicians break almost every sin.

Leaders in both parties are driven by pride, envy, greed, and wrath. We also see their lust — thank you, Bill. They don’t too often suffer from gluttony and sloth.

But we are also driven by pride, greed, envy, and wrath. One only has to spend a few minutes on social media or watching the news to understand this. Look at how we have treated each other over the past few years.

We are not very nice people.

The question is how do we change this? Many people don’t vote as they believe their vote is a waste. I understand this although I vote every election. So why do we continue to suffer?

I strongly feel the best course of action is to officially leave our parties and become independent.

This shows the parties that they don’t automatically get our vote and they have to earn it. I became so tired of Nancy Pelosi sending me an email telling me how to vote in each election. What does she know about me?

Nothing.

My opinion — and that is all this is, an opinion — won’t change almost anyone’s view. I share it as a discussion point for us to find common ground.

While our politicians feel a necessity to divide and incite hatred, we don’t need to participate in their game.

I won’t vote for Trump or Biden in the next election. I will vote for an alternative candidate, or I will write in a candidate who shares my values and beliefs.

I disagree if people feel this only hurts one candidate or that my vote doesn’t matter. I feel it makes a strong statement.

I can put my head on my pillow at night and know that I supported someone with whom I would trust to babysit my children. If that person is Biden or Trump for you, then I fully support your choice. I do not question you.

But I do know right now the majority of you agree with me on our candidates. And I bet the rest of you have some questions.

Maybe this is finally the election where change happens. I am hopeful.

I just took a poll, and I 100% agree with myself.

What do you feel we can do to finally make a change to our system? What would you do if you were the head of a party?

If you enjoyed what you read today, you may sign up here to receive an email for new articles.