Politics!

I've been quiet about politics because I know it makes for nasty conversation material. But this blog isn't so much a conversation as a one-sided "this is what Bryan thinks" outlet. So I'm going to let you know what I think.

The political state of our country is sickening. This has nothing to do with whichever party controls Washington at any time. I was sickened by what happened under the Bush Administration, and I'm sickened by what's happening now. The problem has a lot to do with our 2-party system. It makes for an environment where unless someone makes the most neutral and inconsequential of statements, he or she is going to be waved off as a right or left wing nut job by half the country. If I were to open up this blog by saying something like "the public option health care may not be such a bad idea" half of you would call me a socialist and a communist and an enemy to American values.

Tomorrow, President Obama will be giving a speech to students addressing the beginning of the school year, just like Reagan did. Just like George H.W. Bush did. Just like Clinton did. Just like George W. Bush did. Only this year, there is a huge uproar from the right with parents threatening to keep their kids home from school so Obama can't brainwash their children with his leftist agenda. The text of the speech is here. Tell me if you see any political propaganda. I don't. The right has recently been on this trip, convinced that all mainstream media (which, incidentally, plays host to such names as Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly) is completely controlled by the left, and is trying to turn everyone into a socialist.

Earlier this week, Van Jones resigned from his post as an adviser to President Obama on the creation of environmentally-friendly jobs, after what he called a "smear campaign" spearheaded by Glenn Beck was launched against him. It is a sad day for America when an extremist (I don't believe I am overstating anything with this word) radio show host holds enough conference in our government to be able to pick-and-choose which guys he doesn't like, and have them removed. This is all while Beck complains that the media (except for his buddies at Fox...duh) is brainwashing us.

To be fair, Jones had his faults and made his mistakes, and it was a terrible oversight for the Obama administration to appoint someone who signed an "anti-American" petition and freely called Republicans "assholes" to any position of power, even one as trivial as green jobs adviser. How his attitude towards conservatives hinders his ability to adequately fulfill his job of creating environmentally friendly jobs for disadvantaged and unskilled workers, I'll never know. I guess one of the requirements for holding public office includes a lack of opinion and/or courage to openly share said opinion.

This is why our government cannot function properly: people like Glenn Beck. People like him leave no room for compromise--a critical part of American society, especially in his sacred US Constitution. No decision Washington makes will swing far enough to his side of the spectrum, and he will consequently continue to undermine our government by tearing out the pieces he doesn't like. It starts with Van Jones. Where does it end? People like him seem to be hell bent on bringing down Obama's administration. It's as though they are trying to make our government fail. But for what? Bragging rights?


Forget the left and the right. We're all Americans, and we're all in this together.