Hesiod said, “Moderation in all things”, but to be more ethically and logically consistent, he should have said “Moderation in somethings.” I am a tolerant person, but, weirdly, the more tolerant you become, the more intolerant you become. To be tolerant of the KKK, Nazis, or overt white supremacists is to be intolerant. I am not a perfectionist and so care little about purity or even logical consistency. That said, my detestation of the KKK, Nazis, and similar assholes knows no limit. Well, almost. Hunting them as you would kill rabid dogs loose in the street would raise constitutional and due process concerns for me.
I was delighted when Obama was elected in 2008 and not just because he spoke in full sentences and was a decent human being. As with no president before, I sought out ways that I could contribute to the success of his presidency. And while my respect and affection for him today are greater than they were twelve years ago, I had serious reservations about his program. Then and now I believe that the drone program was immoral and unconstitutional. For me, he was insufficiently concerned about nuclear weapons, gay rights, racism, and workers’ rights. Even so, I think he was the best president we have had since JFK.
I have similar values and hopes for Biden. I love the man. During the debates, Senator Harris dropkicked his butt clear across the stage, and yet Biden chose her for his running mate. That’s something rare, vanishingly rare, in contemporary politics: Character. (Lincoln had it. Wellstone, too. So does Representative Dean Phillips.) However, I have grave reservations about Biden, which I will not mention here for fear of reviving that history. That said, I am seeking ways that I personally can contribute to his success.
For starters, I am going to moderate my expression of the loathing I feel for all things conservative. I cannot with integrity ignore their violence, their willful stupidity, or their continuing dismantling of democracy. But I do think that the extremity of my hatred contributes to the extremity of their nuttiness. Therefore, I will stand back and stand by. I am will dial back my aggressiveness and, as Joe has asked us, I will turn down the temperature of my own responses. I am going to be more attentive and responsive to the intentions, the fears, and the ideas of conservatives and less to the jerks themselves. I want Joe and Kamala to succeed.