Category: Politics

Eyes on the Prize

On By SarahIn Opinion, Politics6 Comments

I want to write some words of encouragement to my friends in California and across the world who experienced, like me, the very personal defeat of the passage of Proposition 8 last week. While I am disappointed in this result, I remain encouraged in the overarching victory of the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. While we may have lost some battles that night, including Prop 8, Obama’s election bodes well for LGBT folks. Let’s take the long-term view.

Prop 8 succeeded in large part because of the final ugly push by the pro Prop 8 bigots that preyed on people’s basest fears and prejudices. The Prop 8 folks organized a last-minute effort of robocalls aimed primarily at African Americans and some Democrats who they knew would be supporting Barack Obama. I received one of these calls on Election Night on my cell phone which has a 415 area code (they must not have had in their notes that my wife and I were the second couple married at San Francisco City Hall in 2004). The calls featured an audio quote from Barack Obama where, in his own voice, he says that marriage is between one man and one woman, followed by another voice urging voters to vote yes on Prop 8.

Obama did not give permission for them to use his quote for this purpose, and he adamantly opposed Prop 8.  In response to the robocalls last week, Obama issued this statement:

As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law…And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states. For too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It’s time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.

When has any other candidate seeking the Office of the President came out with an unequivocally supportive statement of gay rights like this? And for the first time in history, a President Elect said the word “gay” out loud in his acceptance speech.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It is a new day, and I am ever hopeful that we will have equal rights one day soon.

Life and Choice

On By SarahIn Community, Opinion, Politics, SpiritualityLeave a comment

“Pro-life” and “pro-choice” are not mutually exclusive terms. Indeed, I claim to be both.

I am pro-life. I value all living things that the Creator has blessed us with. I embrace my responsibility as a human being to steward the Earth and its resources.

I am pro-choice. I believe that women should have the right to privately make decisions about their reproductive health with her doctor and her loved ones.

Right-wing Christians who call themselves “values voters” don’t have the lock on moral issues that they claim. My moral compass informs my politics and the way that I vote. I support candidates and policies that I believe will build a just society.

  • I support family values, where every child is a wanted child, no person fears violence in their own home, and where any loving marriage between two consenting adults is honored and respected.
  • I support environmental conservation and policies that make sustainable day-to-day living practices possible for more people.
  • I support fairness and economic justice for everyone.
  • I believe that healthcare is a right.
  • I support public education.
  • I support working for peace with justice, and working towards building a non-violent society whether it is combating gun-violence in urban neighborhoods or finding diplomatic solutions to international conflicts.
  • I support the abolition of the death penalty.

As articulated by the Matthew 25 Network, I support “life with dignity, caring for the least of these, supporting families, stewardship of God’s creation, working for peace and justice at home and abroad, and promoting the common good.”

Perhaps I have a broader definition of what being “pro-life” means than how it is used in popular discourse. In the same way that I am reclaiming my religious faith, I want to reclaim what it means to be pro-life. I want all children to be born into a sustainable peaceful world where they have access to the food and healthcare they need, the education that they deserve, peaceful parks and clean air in their cities and towns, diverse communities where they can learn about and respect different cultures and traditions, and freedom to make decisions about their personal lives. I want all people to be able be who they are and to live without fear for doing so.

These are the Pro-Life values that I embrace.

An Invitation For Respectful Dialog

On By SarahIn Community, Opinion, Politics1 Comment

Perhaps it is what the media is choosing to focus on, but it certainly seems like people in the McCain-Palin camp are more interested in continuing to assert misinformation about Barack Obama’s character and personal background. And to be fair, I know there are liberals who lash out at conservatives in ugly ways.

When I see these hateful outbursts in public, I respond in fear, and I go back to the comfort of my family and friends who share my values and opinions. What I see are people who hate me and my loved ones, and who want to move towards ensuring I am stripped of my civil rights. I am actually afraid for my personal safety, and I’m afraid to engage in any sort of dialog.

But I also know that if we are never able to talk to each other about our different perspectives, our country is never going to heal our divisions. I know there are people on either side of the issues who want to talk about about energy policy, the environment, healthcare, and the war rather than dig up dirt and attack the character of the candidates. I wish people would stop looking for reasons to hate and fear each other.

I know there are good people out there who have a world view different from my own, who are respectful and compassionate and who desire an open dialog about our differences. I just don’t know how to connect with them.

I suspect that I am like many others in that I tend to associate with people who are like-minded. My friends and my online social network reflect values that I hold. I am interested in dialoging with conservatives, and try to meet in the middle and find common ground on divisive issues. At the very least learn about what informs opinions that are different from mine and offer up the opportunity for people to learn about what informs my opinions. I want to get away from that place of fear and move towards mutual respect.

If there are conservatives out there who are interested in respectfully reaching across and learning about people who have a different perspective, let’s find a way to talk to each other.

The Ugly Heart of the Radical Right

On By SarahIn Opinion, PoliticsLeave a comment

The radical fringe right is rallying their base and spreading lies and reactionary opinion pieces, all of which is race-baiting the popular discourse about the economic crisis and ultimately the election. In a calculated move, they have people like Ann Coulter and Jeff Jacoby publishing opinion pieces basically saying that the blame for the economic crisis is on the shoulders of liberals and people of color.

Last week, the American “Family” Association revealed their true racist colors in two emails they sent out, pointing fingers at the Clinton and Carter (what?) Administrations, equating liberal advocacy for minority home ownership with the risky loan products that the predatory lenders on Wall Street have been so happy to take advantage of. What they refuse to acknowledge is that greedy lenders and investors were taking advantage of the hopes of poor people, knowingly selling them loans that they couldn’t afford. All of this in a deregulated market happened under the watch of the Bush Administration.

The Campaign for America’s Future is addressing these racist attacks on their website, explaining the history of banks discriminatory lending practices, and Carter’s and Congress’ passage of the successful Community Reinvestment Act in 1977.

People are freaked out right now, and I fear that many will fall for this damaging and dangerous misinformation coming from the radical right, making racism acceptable, even patriotic. This translates back to the election.

No one wants to talk explicitly about how race is playing out in this election, so while people are busy trying to be polite and not make anyone uncomfortable, the radical right is preying on the prejudice and fear that live in people’s hearts. They aren’t ashamed to cross the line, as illustrated by this quote from Ann Coulter’s recent opinion piece:

“Instead of looking at ‘outdated criteria,’ such as the mortgage applicant’s credit history and ability to make a down payment, banks were encouraged to consider nontraditional measures of credit-worthiness, such as having a good jump shot or having a missing child named ‘Caylee.'”

As posted in a comment on John Ridley’s recent article on the Huffington Post, “They are using these tactics to distract and to exacerbate racial resentment among hardworking whites in the swing states.” They continue to expose their hateful hearts at every turn, and I just hope that the American people are smart enough not to fall for their bunk and once again vote against their own interests.

Question of the Week

On By SarahIn Opinion, PoliticsLeave a comment

Fareed Zakaria posed the following question to his audience at the end of his show today:

Who on the campaign trail do you think will benefit most from the current economic situation? The Democrats or Republicans?

Here is my response:

I wish the media would stop asking questions that pit the right against the left. Perhaps instead you could ask a question that gets at how Democrats and Republicans can work together to solve the economic crisis. Politics should not be about whether or not the left or the right will win, but rather how the American people will benefit the most from its leadership. The media is responsible to help shape public discourse, and I’d really like to see more journalists answer this call rather than the call of the networks’ bottom line.

Sincerely,

Sarah

You can respond to him, too at FareedZakariaGPS@cnn.com