Fair warning, I am going to use some foul language in this post. I have tried to take it out and I keep putting it back. It needs to be there. The language BELONGS in this post.
When I was in college I dated a guy who did one thing consistently that drove me utterly batty. We had this conversation regularly (and most people have had a similar version of this with someone):
Me: I’m hungry. Let’s get some food.
Him: Sure.
Me: Where do you want to go?
Him: Oh, I don’t care.
Me: Ok, [restaurant #1] then?
Him: Uh. I don’t want that.
Me: Then where do you want to go?
Him: Oh, I don’t care.
Yes you do. Yes, you FUCKING DO. I remember the day I lost it on him. And by lost it, I meant I wasn’t putting up with the bullshit anymore.
Me: I’m hungry. Let’s get some food.
Him: Sure.
Me: Where do you want to go?
Him: Oh, I don’t care.
Me: Ok, Outback then?
Him: Uh. I don’t want that.
Me: Then where do you want to go?
Him: Oh, I don’t care.
Me. Ok. Let’s go to Outback then.
Him: I told you – I don’t want to go there.
Me: And you said you don’t care. If you don’t care, I want Outback. If you do care, then you need to express your opinion and come up with an alternative.
He did not appreciate this tact very much. I don’t remember where we went, but we came up with what I called the “veto game” – if you veto the choice the onus is on you to come up with the next option. And it has to be a new option. Fortunately, the very first time my (now) husband and I ran into this particular thing of “where to eat” he immediately bought into the veto-plan and there have been times he said “I’m not excited by that restaurant/option but I’m too lazy to come up with something else so sure.” This is why I love this man.
The GOP is doing the same damn thing. It is driving me crazy. Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz – all of them are pulling this bullshit of “I don’t like your idea, but I don’t want to have to come up with a better idea.”
Let’s take healthcare:
Democrats: Healthcare is in trouble.
Republicans: Yeah, it kind of is.
Dems: Why don’t we do universal healthcare?
Reps: Uh…. I don’t like that idea.
Dems: Ok…. then what do you want to do about it?
Reps: Oh, I don’t know.
Dems: Ok then, let’s try universal healthcare coverage.
Reps: But I said I don’t like that idea!
Guess what – you don’t like the idea, the onus is on you to come up with an alternative. And as a voter, if you are voting for a GOP rep who is pulling this bullshit (or not speaking against it!) – you are in an abusive relationship and choosing to stay there. Because at some point that passive-aggressive bullshit IS abusive. “I don’t want to make a choice/take responsibility, but I don’t like your solution either!” No.
I fucking want to eat. If you don’t want Outback, then you need to put another option out there. Don’t like universal healthcare? Ok, how do you think we should fix healthcare in this country? How do we lower our mortality rates to the rest of the world? Lower our obesity rates? Raise preventative care? Decrease cost of prescription drugs? Improve cure vs treatment rates?
I consider myself an independant voter, but over the past 10+ years I have felt there are more and more GOP representatives (especially that I vote for) who only give me the option of an abusive relationship. What is the GOP plan for healthcare? What is the GOP plan for data security? Infrastructure improvement on roads, bridges, and the internet? What is their plan for 5G rollout and technological development (hell, we can’t get “high speed” internet to everyone in the US yet)? What is their plan to improve education for everyone? (charter schools have great potential, but what about people who DON’T get into them? or the ones where states are poorly managed and it goes horribly off the rails )
We as voters need to make it 100% clear we will NOT put up with abusive relationships just because they have the “right” (har har pun intended) letter next to a candidate’s name. I hope the Democratic party puts up an awesome candidate against Senator Perdue. I’m tired of reading his emails which just give lip service to the same BS I’m hearing from Mitch McConnell or other major GOP “faces” right now. We need solutions, not just “the party of no.”
Dream by Day 