I have read a great deal lately on the difference between how Democrats and Republicans view the world. I think we are all aware of the Democratic good father model vs. the harsh, patriarchal Republican father, but I think I got a deeper sense of it when I read an article by Robert Novak on Slate this morning.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503169_2.html?referrer=emailarticle
He seemed surprised that the Kennedy family would put politics aside and ignore his insults over the years and support him and be kind to him in regards to his brain surgery.
I may be generalizing but I think Democrats believe in change. They live change, because they are adventurous and curious. They try things out. They know they may be rich now, but things could change, and they might be poor tomorrow, so they want a social network. I think there is a rigidity to the Republican stance that stifles life, movement, acceptance, and the recognition of forgiveness and moving on. Again, I may be generalizing, but it is my only explanation for how one votes for or against social programs, and for why one would be surprised that a family would reach a hand toward you in illness despite your diatribe against them over the the years.
Perhaps it is also why the Democrats struggle more with vicious ads and attack on character. They know character can change and the issues are what should be discussed. What matters is providing a safety net for us all, and the ways of doing that may be in flux, but let's start.
I also see how firmly hate comes back and blasts the sender. It is a boomerang.
Here is one of my favorite poems on the subject of hate.
Hate
Norman Fischer
I have landed here
Falls off the shelf
And years form the mind
Caroom, lost to the next thing
Does this compute?
To act dumb, to say nothing can be done
Out the door, the table
It would not be our plight to witness
Human, the blue sky
All's to be done, and then
Yet give up, fight
And it is us to prove a point
Hate is like throwing a handful of shit
Onto a red hot ingot
You have to pick it up first