Dude, Where's My Country_ - Michael Moore [76]
And that is exactly how the majority of Americans think, act, and behave these days. Though they won’t use the word itself, they are the living, breathing definition of liberal in their everyday words and deeds. Just as most independent, free-thinking women rarely use the word “feminist” anymore; their actions speak louder than their lack of a label, and feminist is exactly what they are.
So let’s not get hung up on the terms. Most Americans don’t approach the world with labels, but with common sense. To the majority of Americans it just makes sense that the air and water should not be trashed, that the government has no business poking around an adult’s bedroom or genitals, that it isn’t right to deny people a chance simply because of the pigmentation of their skin. Americans don’t define these as political issues, but as basic logic. While this attitude may actually be a textbook definition of “liberal,” why don’t we start to look at it and define this cultural shift in an entirely different light?
Let’s start saying the following: A new Common Sense Majority rules the land. Is it common sense to have 75 million people go without health insurance for most, if not all, of the past two years? Of course it isn’t; that makes no sense. Is it common sense to let just five companies own all the major sources of information and news in America? Absolutely not. Is it common sense to see that every person has a job and makes a livable wage? You bet—that makes good sense.
What decent-thinking person wouldn’t be for these things? We need to set the common-sense agenda and start calling the shots. The small group of right-wingers who now control most facets of our lives are the No Sense—or nonsense—Minority. They do not represent the vast bulk of this country.
You may be thinking, “Yeah, well, if that’s true, then why does Bush have such high approval ratings?”
To me, the answer is simple. America was attacked. More than 3,000 people died. It’s basic human nature that if you have been attacked, you will rally behind your leader—no matter who that leader is. The high ratings for Bush are not an endorsement of his policies. Rather, it is the response of a frightened country that has no choice but to back the man charged with protecting them. America has not fallen in love with Bush—it’s more like “love the one you’re (stuck) with.”
Let me say it again: The overwhelming support for the war in Iraq only came after the war began. Before the war, the majority of Americans said that we should not be invading Iraq unless we have the backing and participation of all our allies and the United Nations. But once the war began, the average American wanted to support the troops, and wanted the troops to come home alive. After all, it is their children who were sent over there. What else were they going to say to the pollster on the phone when it was their son or daughter or their neighbors’ kids who were in harm’s way?
Support for Bush is actually very weak. The economy is in the crapper. People are struggling every day. And there is no way Bush can keep them and his rich buddies happy at the same time. Although the citizens of America love their country, and want to support it, if they don’t have a job—or one that pays all the bills—that is what will be on their minds come Election Day.
So, take heart. And take a look around you. You live in a nation full of progressive-thinking, liberal-leaning, good-hearted people. Give yourself a pat on the back—you won! We won! Let’s take a victory lap together and then get to work on fixing the Great Disconnect—how it is that, in a nation of lefties, the right hand controls everything. They do not represent the will of the people, and that has to change. Start