I Miss Ronald Reagan

The other day I thought seriously about logging out of Facebook and not logging back in again for a couple months. Not such a bad idea actually. I'd probably get more tangible things done around here. I'd get my ass to bed sooner.

The reason I thought about ditching Wastebook for a while was the recent presidential election. I thought to myself, why do this NOW when you've already endured/unsubscribed from a year plus of highly charged political, partisan, provocative, poop-throwing posts? You've endured over a year of an atmosphere where it seemed one comment was enough to ignite a flame war.

I think the gloating is harder to take than the campaigning and  fight-picking. That's why. But all that may be dying down now. I'm hopeful. I figured I'd give it a week, and if I was still seeing the 'nanner nanner' posts, I'd just as soon sign myself out rather than block people.

Personally it's been a somber few days for me. I'm not surprised by the outcome. I feel  let down by the party I've more or less called my own my whole life. They truly didn't get their crap together 4 years ago (actually it was a complete joke), and apparently did not get it together again this year. Why indeed is the conservative way a better way? Can I articulate it the way I wanted my party to articulate it? Beyond knowing for certain it is just plain good stewardship to live within one's means, and that less government intrusion into its citizens' lives is a good thing,  I'm not sure I can. It seems they did not do an even half-ass job of articulating it it. And then we had the buffoons and harpies and assholes to underscore the whole thing. Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock's philosophy on rape? *slaps forehead* Ann Coulter was out of line for calling President Obama a retard. Sorry, you just don't do that sort of thing. She deserves every bit of blowback she gets  for that. Donald Trump? Go away. Take your idiotic hair and money and just. Go. Away.

So in contrast to that, we've got the smooth operator. The wonderful orator (I called it when I said we could be looking at the next president when he spoke at the 2004 DNC). The awesome chocolate-covered sparkly rainbow-sprinkled party, while the stuffy old right wing sulks in the dark and mutters to itself about who's going to pay for all this. You really have to hand it to a political machine that gets its act together and starts right off with the negative, pushing-grandma-off-the-cliff anti-Romney ads immediately. And are we ever going to get the image of an Irish Setter strapped to the top of a car out of our minds? Someone who does not project his 'true' self, or is not a good speaker doesn't stand a ghost of a chance. Where is the conservative candidate who can actually successfully connect with the people? *looks around while crickets chirp* I don't see him/her.

I've sensed a lot of hate coming from the left directed to the right. I'm tired of feeling guilty by association. Yeah, it's not fun to discuss how things are going to be paid for, is it?  I have yet to hear one Democrat say 'Yeah, I'll gladly dig deep and help pay my share of the national debt and healthcare costs and every other helpful entitlement that comes forth from Washington'.  But I do agree congressional gridlock is not the least bit productive. I wonder if every one of our elected officials  has completely forgotten that they actually work for us.

And it's not cool to say anything negative about homosexuality these days. Not fashionable at all. You know, I really don't care who prefers sausage or taco or various combinations thereof. I really don't. Don't need to know, and even if I do, I still truly like and respect you. What I do highly resent is the posting of canned FB dissertations implying that that I'm a rotten Republican and a bad person for not ranking your public struggles far above all my concerns for the bottom line of my own household, the present and future fiscal health of my nation, the employment hopes for all my nieces and nephews, and oh, probably another dozen things I can think of.  Not number one on my list. Never will be.

I think the thing that depressed me the most was the sycophantic reposting of Michael Moore's tweet, belch, fart or whatever post-election status. Naturally something as major as a presidential election would bestir him from whatever rock he coils beneath. I could almost live with what he had to say until the end, where he expressed gladness at the  destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy. He equated it to a 'Ha! So there!' from mother nature directly to the Republican party. What a hateful turd. That catastrophe affected millions of people from all political leanings, all sexualities, all colors, all walks of life. But he rejoices in the calamity because he can find a way to use it to slam the right. Then here are people sharing this on FB, apparently because they agree with everything he says. I really don't believe they're as cruel as he is, but the word 'dumbasses' popped with neon clarity in my head.

No, I probably won't abandon Wastebook. It's too much of a guilty pleasure, and there are too many squee-worthy cute pics I'd miss.  The election's over, we'll pass the 'Hey I didn't mean any of the things I said, let's work together now' phase, and life will go on as usual. At least that's what I hope.