| Political debate in this country usually isn't very logical. This is because the issues are
often very critical, and both sides are doing whatever it takes to win the debate. In the current state of our
democracy, emotional appeals carry more weight than rational analysis, and both sides feel they need to use the
methods that work right now. Often, one side or the other will push an agenda it doesn't even fully believe in,
for reasons that are not quite the real reasons, just because the real agenda and real reasons simply wouldn't
fly. I have no problem with this approach. However, I think it is also good for those of us on the progressive side to be aware of the larger reasons behind the agendas we try to push, and to try educating people about them when we can. It can only help our cause to have more and more people thinking in terms of the big picture, rather than being pushed to and fro by emotional arguments and scare tactics. |