The Screaming Idiots

It's official. I have turned into the screaming idiot Republican. It's true. And I'm not sure it can be undone. I usually pride myself on being able to have a passionate political discussion without resorting to name calling when the argument doesn't seem to be going my way, as those pesky conservatives are likely to do. If I had a dollar for the number of times I've been called a bleeding-heart liberal or a tree-hugger, I'd have... well, I'd have a lot of money. But today I fell into the economic trap. There are rational, logical, fiscally-responsible ideas out there to explain economics from a Democratic point of view. I know they exist. I just don't know what they are. And this isn't a knock to Democrats because I don't know the Republican ones either. I just plain 'ole don't know anything about economics. So there we were, discussing the veep debates last night when Edwards' comment about the biggest deficit in our history (or something like that) came up. The Republican I was talking with starts throwing out GNP numbers (for those of you that don't know, like I didn't half an hour ago, that's Gross National Product) and fuzzy math and all kinds of voodoo economic terms. Here's me: what the???? Out goes any semblance of rational argument. Instead I resort to name calling, like those feisty elephants so often do. Granted, I used alliteration, but still! In the face of an argument I couldn't win, or even understand, I called my co-discusser a "rabid Republican." This is him: reasonable, intelligent discussion. This is me: You're a rabid Republican! Rabid, I tell you, rabid! I don't know what got into me. Maybe some of Cheney's evilness seeped through the television last night and started eating away at my brain. Or maybe there were subliminal messages in his speeches. Either way, I've become what I despise. Next thing you know I'll be arguing how we should attack Canada because they give out cheap prescription drugs! On the up side, I do feel ashamed. I feel I've let the liberal in me down. I can say only this: I've felt the other side and it is a truly dark place to be. The best I can do is to remember this dark place and try my best to never cross into it again...

An aside: I love, love, love Kaci and Adam. Thanks you guys!