Love Me. I’m A Liberal.

“I cried when they shot Medgar Evers. Tears ran down my spine. And I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy. As though I lost a father of mine. But Malcom X got what he asked for, he got what he asked for this time. So love me, love me, love me. I’m a liberal.” Phil Ochs

Can anyone explain to me the mentality of liberal voters who seem to have wanted to split Biden, then Harris, Solomon-like, in two? They’re too easy on immigration. They’re too tough on immigration. Too supportive of Israel. Not supportive enough of Israel. And on and on.

Single issue people apparently withheld their votes, or worse, voted for Trump, rather than accept the Dems did their best to thread a very thin needle. This imperfection somehow made them unacceptable to those whose liberal leaning political positions predict they should support them. This despite the fact that Biden-Harris administration has overcome seemingly insurmountable political opposition to enact a number of laws that directly benefit the nation as a whole.

Would they really sit out the election, or worse vote for Trump and let Trump complete his program of setting himself up as a dictator? Give him the opportunity to enact all the heinous actions he has made clear he intends to? All because the far superior candidate they should support doesn’t conform to their expectation on one particular pet issue?

Quite likely many did. Did they decide the election? Probably not, but they contributed to the catastrophe.

It is unfathomable to me that these voters would reject the good because they cannot have the perfect.

But perhaps this expectation of having it all should not surprise us.

Among the worst aspects of our age is our narcissistic insistence on having everything our hearts desire, even if some of these things are on diametrically opposite ends of possibility.

We are like toddlers who want what we want and will throw tantrums if any bit of what we want is denied to us. There is no room for compromise anymore because, it seems, if we can’t have it all we’ll take nothing and just sit here and scream and bang our heads against the floor. Or worse, beat up on each other. I thought this was the province of the MAGA extremists, not of liberally inclined, better informed and educated voters.

It would be so much better if we would just grow up and, weighing the pros against the cons, choose to accept the imperfect. Especially in order to reject what is completely evil.

I wondered whether these spoiled babies would stop whining, go to the voting booths and vote like rational adults? Many probably didn’t.

I hope they enjoyed their tantrum. Now Trump will really give them something to cry about.