Sorry it took me so long to get over here! I saw it but kept getting side tracked..
I as well didn't love some of his positions, and didn't really follow him closely enough to have seen the ones that you called out. I think they are certainly challenging, but like everything, context is important.
I'd like to listen to the whole conversation and then pass judgement instead of cherry pick a few lines in a potentially long discussion. Nothing against your position, but far too often we see cherry picking in a longer discussion to drive a narrative forward.
As well, the legislative process just annoys the hell out of me. There can never be things that are a few phrases, one sentence, short and sweet. Gone are the days of things like the short and sweet text of the first and second amendment. So much bloat and nonsense, where I can see your disagreements with the other information being attempted to add to the statement. I found it disgraceful the booing that apparently went on during the moment of silence for the Kirk assassination, but I did not get to see the clip so I don't know if that is completely factual or not.
As always, I really enjoy reading your perspective, even if it differs from my own. It feels like what America used to be when I was a kid: people having conversations and finding common ground! We sorely need to get back to that!
Thank you very much for engaging, @cmplxty
As you probably know, my undergraduate training is in history, so I'm very careful about sources.
Unfortunately, I actually listened to most of two broadcasts in which he made some of these statements. I listened to the context. I heard him actually making fun of people. Not my style. I heard him mimicking one of the legislators (black, but I can't remember who). It wasn't very pleasant to listen to. He was not being nice. He was sort of acting like a 'bro' and nothing in his manner suggested respect for those who disagreed with him.
I carefully researched this piece. As I said, I knew nothing about him before. Just a name, that's all he was. My blog wasn't really about Charlie Kirk. My blog was about the absolute right of congressional representatives to demur when asked to affirm Charlie Kirk's values. From what I heard, I would not have signed onto that statement either.
Of course we are going to disagree, you and I. We are separate people with different experiences in life. I disagree with my son and daughter. They disagree with each other :) My husband and I have finally come to a point where we do agree on politics, but that's because he's come to his senses and agrees with me 😂
Each of us (you and I) will have to keep open minds. We'll have to keep communicating our ideas. This is still the USA, and its success as a nation depends on people like us talking, reading, reaching out, and trying to understand.
Hope you aren't too busy these days. Enjoy the fall weather. The season goes by so quickly.
Ah that's unfortunate of him to speak in that manner, if that's the jist you got from it. I know you certainly researched for the post, and it's not always possible but getting it from the sources is the best way instead of a translation from someone else.
I think we are certainly at a strange time in history, where we are conflating things that we should not be such as idolizing individuals instead of principles. For what I agreed with Trump on, it's unnerving to see some of the things transpire that have. I don't think we would have had any better, potentially worse, with Kamala but I do think we continue to slip closer to autocracy instead of back to the foundations of the country. It has, in my lifetime, started with Bush, then Obama and has continued on since then, with each puppet contributing in their own unique ways to the chipping away.
I think that for people like Charlie, with him having some shortcomings, he was strong on some important principles like dialogue and peaceful confrontation to have debates and discussions but it certainly sounds like he had issues with other things as you mentioned.
I think we are certainly at a pivotal point, where the voices of people like Charlie and several others are cutting through the noise of those who wish to divide us further. Some are getting struck down, as he unfortunately was, but I am hopeful that this will inspire others to do so. It's the best way for us to move forward as a country.
I think it's important to have varied perspectives in life and family. Not that it's a bad thing to all be on the same page about many things, but we used to have varied households and interests, but these days they are trying to meld them together and I think that's a shame. More division..
I think a lot of people who voted for Trump must be disappointed (not saying you are). We did not have a good choice in the last election, but my view is that he is snowballing the autocratic trend instead of slow walking it. Just my view.
We are in a mess. By the time someone makes it to the presidency, it seems they've made so many deals to get there that they are not 'clean'.
I think you and I want a lot (not all) of the same things. How to get there is the problem.
Thanks for your thoughtful response. Here's hoping that something happens, I don't know what, that brings better leaders for our country.