I stay away from politics on this blog for a couple of reasons. First, I think my personal politics is a private matter. When I go into a voting booth, no one is allowed in there with me, and there is a reason for that. Second, no one really cares what I think nor should they care what I think. That is my biggest problem with celebrities who spout their political philosophies. I do not want to know. Third, there are probably people from all political spectrums who find their way to this blog, and I see no reason to make them mad.
With all of that being typed, this post is about politics. Specifically, it is about a couple of conversations from earlier today that I saw as a microcosm of the state of politics.
This afternoon, I was at work and met someone in the hallway. We had been talking for a few minutes when I was asked if I watched Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearings. I said that I did not watch it but followed some of it on Twitter. That is when the other person started talking about how it was terrible. The committee did not hit her hard enough. They should have gone after Clinton for the terrible job she did as Secretary of State. After all, Richard Nixon erased 18 minutes of a tape and was forced out of office. She deleted 30,000 emails and nobody cares.
After our conversation, I walked outside and headed toward my car. That is when another colleague walked up and started talking. We had been talking for a few minutes when I was asked if I watched Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearings. I said that I did not watch it but followed some of it on Twitter. That is when the other person started talking about how it was terrible. The committee treated her too harshly. It was sickening and was the worse thing that has happened since Joseph McCarthy was holding hearings.
When I got into my car, I started wondering what just happened. I talked to two people in a matter of minutes, and they had completely different opinions of the same event. These two people have similar backgrounds and perform similar jobs. Yet, they saw the hearings from polar opposite perspectives.
People have always disagreed politically, but it shocked me to have those hear those opinions in that short of a timeframe. Then, I realized that I had experienced our political atmosphere. It is not that people disagree. It is that people think those on the other side are evil, stupid, crazy and are driving our country over a cliff. That is why nothing can get done. Many people talk about how politicians need to negotiate and meet in the middle. However, politicians know that the conservative and liberal bases do not want that to happen.
I consider myself to be someone in the middle. On some issues, I am more conservative. On other issues, I am more liberal. Today, I found myself really in the middle as I listened to people espouse opinions from both wings.
Which one was correct? I have no idea. However, I bet the truth is somewhere in the middle. More people interested in politics should realize that.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
“It is only natural, of course, that each man should think his own opinions best”
― Thomas More, Utopia
I wish I had thought of that.
We need more people in the middle and MANY more people who are willing to consider the possibility that someone else may have a good idea. Unfortunately, we seem to be in the process of nominating a lot of really stupid people and it’s hard to see where good ideas will come from. But I live in hope.
We’ve gone through times like this before. Hopefully, we will come out of it again.