The Triangle

Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: John Alvin The Fresno Bee/MCT

The recent clash over the stimulus package has irritated both sides of the government. The Democrats urge the House to act before the economic downturn reaches the point of no return, while the Republicans are rubbing their temples and slamming their fists in protest of the $790 billion solution. The new tagline for the GOP is that this is a "spending package" rather than a stimulus package, calling President Obama an idealist, a socialist and claiming that he is worsening the situation only a few weeks into his presidency. The questionable tax practices of a number of his cabinet nominees have given the opposition even more material to use against him. President Obama's attempt to "reach across the aisle" has, in a sense, backfired. I cannot turn on the news without hearing FOX blast Obama for his failures, predicting that his administration will not deliver any of the "changes" we voted for, or watch MSNBC without seeing the Republicans being portrayed as ill-tempered old men whose only scruple is with supporting our president, not with the stimulus package.

All of the commotion over President Obama and his stimulus package and the angry Republicans in the background gives me a headache. It seems that the afterglow of the election victory is beginning to fade, and now the argument over where to go from here has become nothing short of vicious. I have found myself defending Obama in a few of my classes where the complaints about him have become derogatory, I read blogs and articles whining about the lack of "change," and I begin to think that the media has damaged our system of government. I do not blame the media for what is going on, but the petty, back-and-forth arguments have seeped into my learning environment, and quite frankly, I am sick of it.

The division between Democrats and Republicans of all ages seems to be growing, as political debates become more personal and less about political issues. Since when does your party define who you are and who you can hang out with? Every day I have to remind myself that just because we disagree with someone politically does not mean that we will not get along. The media fuels the fire by pinning political figures against one another, openly shooting down the idea that Americans will ever get over our political-party feud.

In order to fit in, we have to choose a side. When we turn 18, we register to vote, and we fill in a circle on a sheet stating our political persuasion. Democrat? Republican? Other? Is it really that simple? I would like to cross out those options and simply write: AMERICAN. That is what I am, an American. I agree with some, disagree with others, but I can honestly say that all of my opinions cannot be summed up in one word, nonetheless one word that will define how I vote and how people perceive me.

Continued...

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