There is a saying in political circles that the only thing in the middle of the road is a possum that has met an untimely end in a car tire, and the victim usually has a yellow line painted by the department of roads
I’m hearing from friends on both the political left and the right who are beginning to feel that, however well-considered and measured their opinions may be, they must prevent that truck coming down the highway from being jolted violently by ‘left to right, depending on who is in charge.
Like the Opossum, we are inches away from being flattened.
There is a combination of extremism and vitriol that is limiting our ability as a society to move forward and do anything.
We no longer talk or campaign ideas. We are spewing hate and intolerance, even among ourselves.
A fellow Democrat was viciously attacked by members of his own party for not falling in line and worshiping at the altar of global climate change.
Republicans who do not join the extreme right risk being labeled a RINO (Republican In Name Only) or a closet liberal.
Or worse.
Those of us with an affinity for critical thinking know that there are no simple answers, and we recognize that cookie-cutter approaches often fail, but in order to please the disgusting extremists on both sides, we stay silent or let some short-sighted extremist and intolerant sticks. a label about us.
None of this will lead to the best possible decisions. Those that come from civil discourse and compromise are often win-win decisions, but they are not popular or preferred when the “win at any cost” mentality, instilled by the extremes, prevails.
The fact is, most of us are really somewhere in the middle. We don’t want extremes. We want good rational solutions. Solutions that we, as a community, will never get to unless we start having a respectful dialogue that is devoid of those deal-breaking terms of “you always” and “you never.”
Political parties do this to each other and effectively eat their youth. Each has an echo chamber driven by its own “crazy fringe.”
In 2014, we had a seismic political shift in West Virginia. I never believed we would be the solid Republican state we are today. This policy change didn’t happen because Republicans had better ideas and built a better mousetrap. It happened because far-left Democrats took over nationally and decided they didn’t like the values of West Virginia. Or West Virginia Energy. Or the second amendment. Or anything the Midwestern Virginian did.
And like it or not, what they were selling was what you were going to get.
This did not work out well for the Democrats.
Now we are bringing the exact same extremism to our communities. I know there are Republicans who are against the consumption of alcohol of any kind and will find the activities and music of the Party in the Plaza disgusting.
If you don’t like it, don’t go.
Just as there are Democrats who are not in favor of the LGBTQ community having its celebration in the same square.
Again, if you don’t like it, don’t go.
Your hate and vitriol won’t change anyone’s mind. If anything, it will probably harden its position.
No one on either side of the political spectrum wants to be represented individually or as a group by a rude extremist spokesperson. As long as this continues, we will continue to receive bad governance as if we asked for it.
It’s time for those of us in the middle, the Opossum, to take the reins and return to reason, sanity, and the higher decisions that only respectful civil discourse can provide.
In the meantime, I have these tires to avoid.
Republican Dolph Santorine of Wheeling is secretary of the Ohio County GOP Executive Committee.
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