Eastwood/Walsh in 2016!

I’ve lamented the fact that politics seem to have turned so ugly in recent years. I know politicians of all stripes have embraced bombast and vitriol since the earliest days of the Republic but it feels like the atmosphere in Washington and throughout the country has gotten less civil, more partisan and angry and unyielding and corrupt in recent years. Important fiscal matters receive less attention and coverage than divisive cultural ones – like abortion and birth control, homosexual marriage and religion – which set us apart and distract and enrage us.

Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong.

But I think, for example, about the “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl ad for Chrysler featuring Clint Eastwood that aired last Sunday, in which a gravel-voiced Dirty Harry talked about all of us pulling together, rolling up our sleeves and getting to work to solve our problems and make this country work again. I was inspired and hopeful and ready to set aside my disdain for anyone with an ‘R’ next to their name – you have to admit that today’s tea party-lovin’, ultra-religious, rabidly-partisan GOP is not your daddy’s Grand Ole Party – until Dubya’s top advisor, Karl Rove, blasted the commercial for being pro-Obama and conservatives in Facebook trashed and ridiculed it.

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Why don’t people on both sides of the aisle want us to succeed as a nation? Why don’t Republicans want to balance the budget and fix the economy and help unemployed Americans? Why won’t Democrats stop arguing with each other and come together behind the president? Why won’t politicians from each party fight like hell for their principles but be willing to compromise during the day and then wine and dine together at night like they used to? Are control of the White House and Congress really more important than people? Are divisiveness and rancor unavoidable? Why can’t lawmakers and some in the media realize we’re all in this together?

Say what you will about John F. Kennedy but the man was eloquent. (By the way, why do some conservatives seem to hate eloquence? One would assume it’d make communication easier and more mutually satisfying as opposed to when those on the other side of the negotiating table are rigid and narrow-minded...or severely challenged by the whole ‘speaking out loud’ thing like a certain 43rd President of the United States was.) On February 18, 1958 – more than a half century ago – Kennedy told a Baltimore audience not to despair but to act. “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer,” he said. “Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past; let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

Kennedy also cautioned, “We cannot negotiate with those who say, ‘What's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable.’”

I don’t dislike all Republicans. My dad’s pretty conservative in some ways yet I couldn’t respect him more than I do. I could have supported Jon Huntsman if he hadn’t dropped out and I wasn't able to vote for the incumbent this November. I respect Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. I like Kid Rock, Vince Vaughn, LL Cool J, Joe Pesci, James Woods and Drew Carey and they’re all said to be Republicans. (Sean Hannity, Charlton Heston, Kirk Cameron and Dennis Miller? Not so much.) And I’m a big fan of Eastwood, who voted for Tricky Dick Nixon twice, endorsed John McCain in 2008 and recently spoke highly of Ron Paul (but is pro-choice, supported the Equal Rights Amendment, is fine with gays getting married, has been a friend to the environment and is a self-professed “liberal on civil rights”).

Maureen Walsh

I also support Maureen Walsh, a Republican state representative from Washington who is also eloquent and intelligent. A video clip of her speaking in favor of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 6239 – which would provide equal protection for all Washington families by allowing civil marriages and reshaping existing domestic partnership laws – has been circulating in Facebook. I found Representative Walsh’s remarks touching and compelling. According to her website, she wants to create and preserve jobs, supports early learning programs and affordable health care, believes in government accountability, and favors protecting seniors and those with disabilities.

I could vote for this kind of Republican. Unfortunately, she strikes me as an anomaly in today’s Republican Party.

Again, I hope I’m wrong.

Here’s the “pro-Obama” message that Mr. Eastwood – who denied he’s affiliated with the president – conveyed in the commercial:

It’s halftime. Both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half.

It’s halftime in America, too. People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game.

The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again.

I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. And times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems like we’ve lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead.

But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.

All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And how do we win?

Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And what’s true about them is true about all of us.

This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.

Yeah, it’s halftime America. And our second half is about to begin.

I hope we don’t lose this game.

Sources: Huffington Post, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Washington House Republicans website.