It's Time...To Answer Those That Say, Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Yesterday, I had a comment from a friend on a post I had shared that suggested we should all just get along and stop "fanning the flames" with political comments and posts. I've seen quite a few comments like this in social media, as well as in conversations I've had. I attempted to state how I feel this administration is different from previous ones, but I didn't make much headway. Let me try to address this issue here.

I've been voting for around fifty years and was interested in politics before that. I've voted and supported candidates from both major political parties and I can honestly say that I've always voted for who I thought was the best candidate. Until this administration, although I was frustrated by some of the actions of previous presidents, I had never lost sleep over any of it. That is, until now.

I have no intention here of rehashing actions and issues regarding the current president. What I will say is that I've never felt any previous president or his administration was a serious threat to our democracy. I've also never felt that any previous president was such a poor role model that his communications couldn't be shared in schools. That really hits home, as I was an educator for much of my working life. I feel differently now. Too bad.

So, to answer the initial question, I will not simply dismiss the current political climate as business as usual. I just don't believe it is.

Jim