Political parties, have been a part of our country's fabric since nearly it's existence. However, even though they give us a chance to identify with others and help us feel free to voice our opinions, they might have turned into one of the American people's biggest weaknesses. Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler and governor of Minnesota, has been blacklisted by many people in politics. Most of his ideas are very extreme. However, one of his ideas really caught my eye and got me thinking. It was his idea of the "Demacrips and Rebloodlicans."
"I believe that the people need to be woken up to the idea of the Democrips and Rebloodlicans -- the Democrips are blue, the Rebloodlicans are red, the same colors as the street gangs," he said. He continues to say that each party is only in it for themselves and they do much more harm than good for the people. Now, to many reading this, the comparison between political parties and the two most dangerous street gangs of all time might seem radical, but think about it, members of the Bloods and Crips are extremely loyal to their brethren. No matter how badly they might hurt someone or how much they might be breaking the law, the gang members will always believe their leaders are right.
Isn't that how we treat the leaders of our political parties? When Donald Trump is spending a lot of time on the golf course, Republicans say, "he's working while he's out there! He's making deals and getting stuff done!" However when President Obama was on the golf course it was a different story. The tune from Republicans was, "Why is he golfing? He should be working!" And it works both ways, In 2016 alone, President Obama dropped 26,171 bombs on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. But, Democrats will tell you that the bombings were necessary and maybe so, however, we all know if the news came out that Donald Trump dropped over 26,000 bombs on multiple countries, there would be a national outrage.
The point is, we're seeing things through blue or red lenses. The American people are willing to accept a man who believes in alternative facts, with what seems like a very disrespectful and vulgar history towards women. Or live under the illusion that the previous president was the greatest the country had seen in centuries. Proving that we as Americans have an unhealthy loyalty to the party we associate with. No matter how wrong our leaders May be, we will have their back to a fault. Just to keep the other side from gaining power.
Jesse Ventura believes that political party should be taken off the ballot when people vote, because all they see is the R or the D. “I think that when Americans go to vote, states should not list what party the candidates are affiliated with. That would require voters to actually think and get to know a candidate instead of voting for their favorite gang. Oh, this guy is a Republican, so he must be good,” he says. Can you blame the guy for thinking this way? Millions of Democrats and Republicans each year refuse to listen to what each candidate has to say. They focus on the letter next to the candidate's name and no matter what they say or what they do the candidate is always right because they're Republican or Democrat.
We are so unwilling to listen to the other side of the argument, that in our minds, we morph anyone who disagrees with the us as the enemy. We call each other stupid, whiny liberals and come up with the idea that every Republican is a bigot and a racist. Some of us even go as far as calling each other evil and wishing harm or even death upon politicians. Each party spends more time trying to tear the other down then trying to come up with an actual solution to a problem.
Political parties, may have always been at odds. But, I don't think anybody can question that we're more divided than ever. Our partisanship is our biggest weakness. We need to wake the hell up, and realize we're all on the same team. We need to learn to reach across the aisle and compromise. United we stand, divided we fall.
