You know what I want in the world? I want people that are on the other side of political issues to change their mind. I want them to “see the light”.
- I want people that are homophobic, to change their mind and support LGBT+ people.
- I want people that are racist, to change their mind and be anti-racist.
- I want abusive cops to reform and become good cops that fight for positive change.
- I want …. you get the point.
That means when people change their mind, and show they are acting in good faith, I have to forgive their past misdeeds and move on. I’m not saying that the old things didn’t happen, but I’m not going to harp on them.
Instead of saying, “It’s about time!” I will say “Welcome home!”
It is unethical to tell someone “do x-y-z” then punish them for doing just that. It is stupid to continue to punish a politician for their past behavior when they have reformed themselves. It is counter-productive to constantly bring it up and remind people of their old, out-dated, history.
We should celebrate people that have changed their stance in our favor.
If our political goal is to increase our numbers, then we have to be accepting of people that have changed their mind. We can’t expect people to be born 100 percent educated. We want people to learn and grow.
So…
- Did Biden vote for some bad shit? Yes. And he’s changed his policies since then.
- Did Tulsi Gabbard work on her dad’s anti same-sex marriage campaign? Yes, but she’s changed her mind.
- Was Senator Robert C. Byrd in the KKK? Yes, but he recanted that and later became a major force for civil rights.
So stop talking about that shit. Especially that shit that happened before you were fucking born.
Let’s talk about Donald Trump, who not only has a history of racism, but he has refused to recant.
Let’s talk about VP Mike Pence, who not only has a history of anti-LGBTQ+ speech, acts, and legislative agenda but has recently doubled-down on it.
Let’s talk about Mitch McConnell who was “sort of ok” about civil rights but has been getting worse over time and has become Trump’s Enabler-in-Chief.
Let’s talk about Collins and Snowe who keep saying “trust me to do the right thing!” then voting in the dark of night against their constituent’s best interests.
That’s what we should be talking about.
That’s how we defeat Donald Trump and that’s how we flip the senate.
You should know…
Joe Biden: “Biden delivered perhaps the most thorough-going and hard-hitting critique of American racial inequities ever uttered by a major presidential nominee. Certainly, no nominee has ever proposed such a robust agenda for curbing the abusiveness of police, and with such little rhetorical hedging.”
Tulsi Gabbard said, “First, let me say I regret the positions I took in the past, and the things I said. I’m grateful for those in the LGBTQ+ community who have shared their aloha with me throughout my personal journey.” She continued, “Over the past six years in Congress, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to help work toward passing legislation that ensures equal rights and protections on LGBTQ+ issues, such as the Equality Act, the repeal of DOMA, Restore Honor to Service members Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Equality for All Resolution. Much work remains to ensure equality and civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans and if elected President, I will continue to fight for equal rights for all.”
Robert Byrd: In his last autobiography, Byrd explained that he was a KKK member because he “was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision—a jejune and immature outlook—seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions.” Byrd also said in 2005, “I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times … and I don’t mind apologizing over and over again. I can’t erase what happened.”
President Johnson: “On Jan. 12, 1973, ten days before his death, Johnson summoned Walter Cronkite to the LBJ Ranch and, before CBS cameras, recalled his own transformation from a Senate candidate who had virtually endorsed white supremacy into the second greatest civil rights President of all time. Cronkite did not know that this would be LBJ’s last interview…"
