The Great Divide

I voted for Obama.  Not this year, but when he ran for President.  I voted for him both terms.  I admit I liked McCain better in 2008.  I was torn. But when McCain picked Sarah Palin I was out. That was the first election where I realized, or at east believed, that it’s not the Presidential nominee that picks the VP.  Even Trump said he didn’t pick Vance, and there’s no way, NO WAY, Obama picked Hilary (for Secretary of State) by choice, but maybe he picked Biden. It’s hard to know. I know Obama and Hilary hate each other. At least that’s the word on the street. Such is the way of politics and things that make you go hmmm… But, why don’t they get to pick their own running mate?  Who is doing this picking?  Why don’t “we” get to pick the running mate?  Like with McCain shouldn’t there have been a vote by the people as to who to pick for his VP?  Well, I digress.  But this is what I came to learn about Presidents and us back in 2008.  We, the people, do not agree on what we believe to be important in this country. I mean we really don’t agree.

Although, Obama was not my first choice, I did not hate him.  I got caught up in the enthusiasm of the country, of the world actually.  He exuded intelligence, hope and promise and love and his speeches were fantastic.  His impeccable values in the forefront, a family of intelligent, compassionate human beings.  How could you not be caught up in the Hope that was Obama?  Imagine my surprise when I learned that not everyone was caught up in this hope. Seriously, I was shocked when I had dinner with a friend after the 2008 election, and she was despondent.  She was sure there was no hope for her children’s future.  She believed that Obama was going to ruin America. Her boys would have to move to China to get ahead in the world.  I was stunned.  I told her, “there’s more to life than money.” But not to her. She was laser focused on money and what she believed his Presidency would mean.  Another time I had lunch with a teacher from the college where I worked at the time.  She was (and still is) from France. (you PPU people know exactly who I mean). She was in dire straights because Obama was just like Hitler.   She was incredulous that I couldn’t see the signs.  I think I spit up through my nose.  Obama is like Hitler?  No, I don’t see those signs.  She claimed she lived through the Hitler regime (not quite) and she knew the signs and Obama was going to send everyone into concentration camps. 

As the years went on I found out a family member hated Obama. The rest of us were like, wait “what?” One of us hates Obama?  This family member was the first person I knew of, who I thought was sane, hated Obama.  I was shocked.  It is something the rest of us had to reconcile in our family.  How to stay a family and not let these personal values, that are so opposite, affect our relationship.  We have never ever spoken about it, to her anyway.

I then became more aware of Fox News and it’s role in this new family divide. I never paid attention to Fox News because in my opinion nobody watches that.  Real people don’t watch Fox News do they?” WE don’t watch Fox News.  But someone in my family is watching Fox News? What?  I was convinced this was a phase and this family member must be hanging out with some new friend.  The world has been making fun of Fox News for ages. No one really believes what they report, do they?  Even Fox News admits they are not news.  They are entertainment. https://niemanreports.org/articles/fox-dominion-lawsuit/

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1159819849/fox-news-dominion-voting-rupert-murdoch-2020-election-fraud

This great divide has only become more prominent since the Obama years. Fox News has become more, well I don’t know more of what, grossly negligent?.  I mean it’s always been false advertising, but people now, blatantly, just don’t care.  They want to hear something that the rest of the world, literally the world, does not agree with so they watch the one channel that gives them what they want, whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter.  And what “they” want is not what “I” or at least what about 69 million people want.  We have roughly 258 million adults (last count) in the US and out of that approximately 142 million people voted.  So 106 million people didn’t vote.  Who knows where they stand on the issues.  Apparently they don’t think it makes any difference who is in office.  I am hoping they are right.

But honestly, in my opinion, it’s no longer about issues. Something happened during those Obama years.  Something divided us.  Something turned regular people into haters against a man with impeccable values. It was a phenomenon then. What and who these haters turned to as their beacon of hope is even more of a phenomenon now.  They have taken this man who admits to, and displays vulgarity, hatred and falsities and have made him their star.  I mean it’s comical except it’s unbelievably not.

Well, bottom line, Obama did not send us to concentration camps.  My friends’ kids did not move to China and are thriving in business right here in Pennsylvania.  My life has changed a lot over the years. None of it has anything to do with who the President is.  Or does it?  Something, some weird mindset, is dividing us by our values and it’s undeniably unexplainable.  Most of us don’t talk about it with each other. At least for me, as proven in this blog, it is harder to stay neutral.  I have not blogged for months because I have wanted to stay neutral, but not now.  I don’t want anyone, ever, ever, thinking that I support this man or his ideals.  Ever.  EVER.  But, I am the first to say I am looking forward to the day when those who voted for Trump can say “see, I told you so”.  That is my dream.  I have never wanted to be so wrong about anything or anyone in my life.  I hope my resolve and belief that this too shall pass proves true. As Zachary says “ I think we’re going to be fine.”  Said with trepidation, but with hope.

We are going to get through these 4 years, or we are not.  Nobody really knows what’s going to happen.  We, the butter up side people, are predicting death, doom and destruction.  The butter side down are predicting rainbows and unicorns and money growing on trees. They believe that Trump alone will fix the evils of “their” world.  We, some of us, believed Obama was going to be the savior of the world. Obama didn’t “save” us, and my prediction is Trump isn’t going to save us either. But that is only my prediction.  We are all just guessing. Neither side knows what’s going to happen. We can only make “educated” guesses. 

I’ll just leave it there.

xoxo