It takes a lot to rile me. I work in politics, so I tire quickly of people peddling the latest outrage. I often find myself simply ignoring things I think are stupid, even if everyone else is talking about them. However, Im genuinely disgusted with both Wendy Davis and Battleground Texas right now. The latest ad released by her campaign stoops so low that it treats Greg Abbotts disability as something worthy of attack. Claiming that Abbott is a hypocrite for having sued and won after he became partially disabled due to an accident, the Davis ad proceeds to say that he hasnt afforded others in tragic situations the same type of accommodations. This is an absolutely bogus and disgusting claim that attempts to reduce very complicated legal liability questions into soundbites, and erroneously act as if Abbott had full control over each situation as Attorney General. Im not inherently against attack ads, but dragging a man through he mud by way of his wheelchair? Thats beyond low. Soon after I watched this absurd ad, I was treated to an arguably more ridiculous email from the Democratic group Battleground Texas. It claims that Greg Abbott supports Jim Crow laws and wants to take the country back to an era where minorities were denied the right to vote. REALLY? We cant have a policy discussion about the need to balance ballot access and fraud prevention without stooping to that kind of a gross level? I dont know if the Davis campaign and BGTX are acting out of desperation. Id like to think that, and to be able to forgive the people behind these antics. Regardless of their motivation, what I do know is the type of division theyre trying to sow to acquire power is dangerous. When you dehumanize the other, whether thats a political opponent and his supporters, a group of people classified by race, religion, or really any other criteria, youre laying the groundwork for tyranny. When we cease to see each other as human beings and believe that those who differ from us are motivated by hate, remember that the only people who gain from that are those who consolidate their political power as a result. The rest of us? We suffer in divided communities, rife with suspicion about others, and more inclined to abandon our liberties for protection from said monsters. A free society cannot function under such circumstances.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:01:13 +0000