Sometimes, both sides are right or wrong

You know that game that people try to play on toddlers, where they say, "No, I'm sorry but you're too young to have any of these delicious veggie sticks. When you're twelve, I might share." Have you ever mocked a kid to make them hate the very thing they love doing. Like, maybe like, using like the word like, like twenty times in like every sentence? And suddenly when the parent does it the thrill is gone?

I can't believe the number of people who have allowed Trump to use these tactics on them with media. It seems like most people have abandoned critical thinking and adopted black-or-white thinking and reactionary responses. CNN has been irresponsible for decades. MSNBC pulled the mother of all bait-and-switches. They let us down and helped put Trump in office with total Republican control in federal government as well as in most states. So, when Trump criticizes them, why are people playing right into his tiny hands by defending them? This is surely his pay-to-play payments to them. 

I will not use the name of the fake witch (see, I can make it through an entire post without a cuss word if I really want) who has occupied the morning slot on what people want so desperately to believe is a liberal news channel forever, allowing herself to be treated like a piece of (oh, this cleanness is getting harder) - umm shameful Stepford wifery(?). I couldn't stomach the show when it was obvious almost immediately that she was doing a terrible job of pulling off her proclaimed inherited liberal stance which is about the same as my Catholic baptism at two weeks of age - mostly outgrown by age seven and totally outgrown by adulthood. I'm also not going to defend her just because Trump said some stupid stuff about her. Because, it's absolutely possible to criticize both of them for what they do wrong without thinking there has to be one right and one wrong. Sometimes, both people are right or both are wrong.

Speaking of millennials and allowing everyone a seat at the table

I continuously see three big problems: 

People assume all millennials are the same.

 

They aren’t. There are some, like my daughter, who started young and earned a seat. She started volunteering at age thirteen, and cherished the wisdom, instruction, and patience of people she worked with (Donna Brazile the biggest name to show personal interest in her). Following years of volunteer experience and study, and working with both unions and ACORN, she went on to become a paid campaign worker. She has been an officer in the local Young Democrats for years. 

And, now, people who skipped all of that think people like her, as well as those of us who have been doing the same for decades, should forget everything we know and pretend that their wild ideas that we know from experience aren’t going to work the way they demand (especially the demands that we die and get out of their way so they can continue to help Republicans win elections) are doing everything they can to put kinks in the system (including physical violence at times) and to push every qualified, experienced, intelligent Democrat in office or in support positions out the door. This is unacceptable and a death sentence for the party*.

People assume all Sanders supporters are millennials. 

This is not true. I am sixty-three years old and know many Sanders supporters in my age group. They have been throwing elections to Republicans at least since Nadar and continue to infiltrate every Democratic group to sabotage Democratic candidates. Some run for offices they don’t want and/or know they can’t win to give themselves what they believe is credibility in groups (internet and not). They repeat right-wing talking points (lies), propagate the ridiculous notion that both parties are the same, and encourage people to either vote third party or don’t vote at all. 

They are pure tea party, whether or not they are willing to admit it and whether or not they know (as I do) that MoveOn actively recruited tea party members to, “Learn from them,” (their words, and I personally heard them directly from leadership). Their goal is to destroy both parties from within and now they have people who say they are loyal Democrats helping them even though some are just naïve and don’t understand how they are doing so. 

People assume all new ideas are good ideas that deserve our time.   

They are not. There are plenty of terrible ideas floating around and we have more important things that we should be focused on and that demand our time. Anyone who is honestly interested in getting involved and becoming a leader should understand that they need to work their way into leadership positions by listening and learning. This isn’t a ‘everyone gets a trophy for pretending they know what they are doing’ sport. This is a matter of life and death – for people, for the party, and for this earth.

Truth is, anyone who has been involved and demonstrated leadership positions or even willingness to have a seat at the table (as opposed to hogging the gavel and all control) isn't having to fight for a way to be involved.

We can't criticize Ivanka and her crazy father and party if we aren't going to stand up to people who want to give every little Ivanka who shows up the 'you are not qualified but stick around and learn' speech we think she deserved. 

*the party that many of them want to destroy and are only feigning support for so they can destroy from within

Kathy Griffin, Trump Family, and the Golden Rule

Trump chose to run for office, knowing that others would do (or try to do) exactly what he did (or tried to do) to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Trump chose to run for office and swore to hold that office knowing there was more dirt on him than probably anyone else on earth. Trump chose to subject his children (all of them, the ones who are complicit and the ones who might be innocent) to humiliation, fear, hatred, danger, deserved or not. Trump incited hatred, racism, and violence every step of the way. Trump chummed up to and weaponized our enemies--including a country that beheads and that waged the World Trade Center attack on this country--and turned his back on our allies, and he and his party have laid the groundwork for us to become the next Syria, meaning our grandchildren might one day see their parents beheaded by the enemies, or melted by nukes, or washed up on foreign shores after our attempt to help them escape failed. 

Trump's wife and children knew/know all of this about him. Instead of doing the right thing, they played along and helped him. They deserve no consideration. If anyone actually believes the golden child in the gilded cage was terrorized by seeing Kathy's picture, you must surely realize he also sees naked pictures of his mother, who he surely loves more than he loves his demented, absent father, and the news about his father raping children and bragging about grabbing pussies while married to his mom . . . And the appropriate reaction according to my intelligence, experience, gut reaction is to reject Trump's attempt to make us feel sorry for him because someone might have hurt his kid's feelings. It's ALL about Trump. Always.

I believe in the Golden Rule. The Trumps taught us, over and over and over again exactly how they prefer to be done unto - and it isn't pretty. Good parents (like mine, like the Clintons, like the Obamas) take a situation like this and say TO THEIR KID, "That was an ugly, hurtful thing to do. I hope you remember and never do it to someone else." Or, in this case, "I realize now how very wrong I have been to mistreat others my entire life so I am going to beg everyone to forgive me and start over as a decent person."