On September 26, 2016, I attended an event that I never thought in a million years that I would ever go to. For those that know me, I mean truly know me, would find it odd that I found myself in such a bewildering predicament. Or it could be perceived that way, especially considering my own personal, or rather political, beliefs. But, yours truly, on the date in question, found himself at a rally for the Democratic Nominee for Vice President of the United States this go around – Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. The facts as to why I was in attendance at this event are not pertinent to the story.
I guess it would only make sense if I started my dissertation at the beginning, with some initial reactions of mine. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the entire situation and the circumstances of my being at the Tim Kaine rally were really quite bewildering. This is true for a myriad of reasons, but one stands out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest: I am a republican attending a democratic campaign event. If that is not an oxymoron of sorts, then I do not know what is. Think about that for a second, an individual that aligns himself with the centre-right of American politics (reasons as to why this is so can be the subject of a future article) finding himself at an event rallying behind an individual that subscribes themselves to the opposite set of beliefs. The picture couldn’t be more night and day.
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With all due respect, I felt as if I was a foreigner in a strange land. A sojourner, if you will, just passing on through. That is all I felt, I was just a wary traveler who was just there and had every intention to leave. The awkwardness of the setting, which we already have firmly established in the previous lines of text, was helping contribute to that ideology. At least I was in the company of friends who helped alleviate that unhealthy mindset. Needless to say, the anticipated outcome that I firmly believed would come as a result was of further dread and resentment of the opposite political party. I was fully indoctrinated to the ideal that I was going to absolutely despise those on the other side of the ideological divide. This was not so.
Furthermore, what I gained out of what I honestly believed was supposed to be an unwelcome experience was really quite astounding. When it was Senator Kaine’s turn to speak, and I started to listen to his remarks, and I truly mean listen, the gears in my head started turning. Every statement he would make, initially, I would internally criticize it. "Even when folks have been battling with her [Hillary Clinton] about stuff, she knows them. And in the Senate, which I know better than the House, there's high regard for her work ethic, we can work together with her," said Kaine. Statements like these really did not attract me to Senator Kaine or, by extension, the Clinton campaign or even the Democratic Party to be honest. The purpose of this article is not to proclaim that I had a convergence from attending this rally. However, I did have an epiphany.
Moreover, I came to a realization after I attended what seemed to be a partisan rally. For all intents and purposes, it was. It was promoting the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine and, by extension, the Democratic Nominee for President Hillary Clinton. But, even though the messages and overall theme of the rally did not resonate with me, I quickly realized that it was not meant to. What do I mean? To answer this conundrum, we have to take a brief look at one of the cornerstones of this great republic of ours.
To continue, we sometimes forget that our beloved country, is a melting pot nation. This term can be synonymous with a variety demographics. We are a melting pot when it comes to the ethnic make-up of our country; the cultural identity of all of its subgroups; the professional background of our hardworking citizenry; the worldly experiences that everyone of us has had; and so much more. However, we often forget to recognize that, included in this vast melting pot nation, are the diverse political ideologies that our populous possesses. Not everyone has the same view when it comes to the pressing issues of the day. That is a forgone conclusion that is, at least in theory, hard to overcome. But even in a society as politically diverse as ours, we constantly find ourselves, more often than not, in stark opposition to each other’s viewpoints.
Today, the two major parties in the United States are seemingly locked into bitter ideological shoving matches – and we the American people are caught in the middle. This is rather shocking to consider. Especially for someone like me who is a bona fide member of one of them. But sadly it is true. As the two camps continue to brandish the other as the unholiest of unholy; labeling the other as fundamentally un-American; implementing scare tactics in order to disincentives member of the populous from supporting members of the opposing party; it only ends up hurting the voters of the this country.
The unrelenting attacks that the two parties unleash on one anther has a trickledown effect – one that impacts average Joes like me and you. For example, when I was in attendance at the rally. One of my friends bumped into an older gentleman. Now from the outside, this man seemed nothing out of the ordinary. He was a veteran, a grandfather, and a recent retiree to the great state of Florida. This man was anything but ordinary, he was extraordinary. However, he did utter a phrase that did unsettle my friend at the rally. The older gentleman, told my friend that he “hates all republicans.” Further bringing insult to injury, my friend was also a republican who also was in a similar predicament as the one I outlined earlier in this article.
This one incident may seem anecdotal, but I think that it has larger implications than what we might realize. Especially in an election year as divisive as this one. An election year where the two major candidates are so distrusted and so dissimilar, yet their support is justified by their individual camps pessimism towards the other. This creates an environment where it is virtually impossible to open dialogue between the two competing ideologies; where the two parties cannot effectively work together to bring needed change to the Washington beltway; and does a disservice to the average citizenry of this un-average republic. All because we do not trust to listen to each other’s arguments.
This I theorized at the Tim Kaine rally. The deep disdain that I was feeling towards the Vice Presidential Nominee, a nonmember of my own political party, I realized, were contributing to this overall negative atmosphere surrounding American politics. This unhealthy mindset I was in, overall, does nothing to help foster this country or to help grow its ideals – it inhibits them. All because I was so closed off to hearing to what the other side had to say. I was too stuck in my ways that I failed to sure up my own arguments by not paying attention to what the other side was saying about me and my party. I was not staying informed as to what the issues were that galvanized all those democratic voters to go see Senator Kaine on a work day. I was missing out on a lot of vital information that I could utilize not for myself, but to help improve our democratic political system by staying informed about what my colleagues across the aisle are saying. It should never be the agenda of a citizen, I now realize, to completely shut out the talking points, even if you do not agree with them, of others from another political ideology as you. You miss out on too much and it does not help one bit.
One thing that I do not see coming to an end, at least too soon, is the unrelenting political discourse that has plagued this country for far too long. Discourse that has been egged on by our unwillingness, as a society, to listen to the other side of the aisle. In reality, you become a much more skilled defender of your ideals if you are able to counter the arguments that are being made by the other side – not discounting them the moment they are uttered from the mouth of someone you do not like simply because of party affiliation. Surprisingly, I learned this valuable lesson while in attendance at a political rally for Tim Kaine. Though not my ideal candidate or rally, I would not trade that experience for the world. With all due respect, everything exists for a reason. Whether it be for experience or a lesson, nothing is wasted. This is because the soul is always gaining insight. This shall continue, if you just listen to other people’s arguments.
