More than a year ago former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi generated headlines due to a rare public display of raw emotion. She became visibly choked up while voicing concern that the increasingly heated rhetoric permeating our political discourse at the height of the health care debate could soon turn violent; something she had seen firsthand years before with the 1978 shooting of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, one of the nation's first openly gay elected officials. (Click here to see some of the public servants we have lost in the line of duty.)
There were plenty of those who at the time thought Pelosi was being paranoid or dramatic. Today of course her words seem sadly prescient. Around that time I wrote a post titled "Why I'm Grateful for Joe Wilson and the Fury of Racists." To the surprise of many, in it I expressed optimism with the direction our country was heading, despite agreeing with Pelosi that the vitriolic tone hijacking our political discourse was coming close to paralyzing it altogether.
The reason for my optimism? Because as I explained at the time, progress in our great country has always come at a cost and often that cost is that we must experience the anger of those fighting to preserve the past, those for whom progress is a scary thing. As I noted in the post, you can often measure just how close we are to progress based on how hard opponents fight against it. After all, the South became a full-fledged war zone of church bombings and record murders at the height of the Civil Rights Movement as the final vestiges of legalized discrimination were dismantled -- not before. And yet all of that fear and intimidation was not enough to stop progress. The fact that I'm writing this right here and right now is proof of that.
While we do not yet know the motives of the individual responsible for this recent tragedy, in recent days I found myself reflecting on the subject of what we Americans must often endure on the road to progress, the road to helping our country become the very best it can be.
The road to becoming a better America is not always pretty. Throughout our history there has never been a single issue that really mattered in which Americans did not engage in heated rhetoric, which was unfortunately at times followed by violence. From our forefathers' decision to declare independence from our English ancestors, to the fight to end slavery, it is safe to assume that these debates were punctuated by plenty of unpleasant exchanges peppered with name-calling, followed by bloodshed, before people eventually settled their differences, came to their senses, allowing our country to emerge better, stronger and more united than it was before.
In recent years we've covered the name-calling and bloodshed. Now here's hoping and praying we all come to our senses so that our country can emerge better, stronger and more united than it was before this weekend's tragedy.
Like all of you I remain shaken, sad, and yes angry, yet I continue to remain optimistic about the future of our country and hope you will too. We have already seen some reasons to remain hopeful. Namely, that for the first time in a long time we have seen the leaders of both of the primary political parties in this country act and sound like leaders again, not like the playground adversaries they have sounded like for much of the last few years.
So today as we continue to mourn the lives lost and continue to pray for the recovery of Congresswoman Giffords and others, my hope is that one day we will be able to look back on this moment as a turning point for our country. As the moment when after a few years of heated rhetoric, we finally started working together again in the interest of progress for all.
This post originally appeared on TheLoop21.com for which Goff is a Contributing Editor.
Follow Keli Goff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keligoff
Gareth Harris: We Are Not Enemies
Also LBJ was a much stronger president and if you listen to the older journalist still around he was the hardest working president.
Those are the little things. We have come a long way but we have a lot farther to go.
After I will quote what I have, like when NOTHING was known about the shooter, and WHO the Right made wild hateful charges against.
They speak of Unity yet Division and
Divide seems the only Actions that's
on their minds, Disagreement and
Ridicule is the main words that exit
their mouths how many people know
what I'm talking about?
Congress, it's time you put in check the
Rude Undeserved Disrespect some of you
show to our President! He's truly a worthy
leader, plus his likability by the World, is high
on the Meter!
To those, in Congress who's earned our respect
you know who you are, thanks for being true to
your job!
Society as a whole is advised by those in power
to get along, yet although they make some of the
most important decisions for our lives, they simply
won't heed to any advice, even when they know
without a doubt, the other side is right!
It's pass time grown women and
men stop the Bickering, unnecessary Partisanship
and Disagreeing simply, out of pure Meanness
What a poor example you are setting for our
youth, most are not blind or deaf they pay attention
to the things you say and do
which like them you leave us all disappointed and
confused and asking the question what's the use?
the mere thought that our future is in your hands
is really hard to comprehend
So for the sake of Humanity, please remember, once
you're grown, you shouldn't act like a child or a bunch
of Clowns!
Because "We The People" could truly do without a
"Congress Gone Wild"
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
"Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away"
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
> as a turning point for our country. As the moment when after a few
> years of heated rhetoric, we finally started working together again in
> the interest of progress for all."
You must be VERY unobservant, Keli.
The official policy of the US Government, started by Bush, continued by Obama, is to conduct
assassinations, including assassinations of US citizens. The assassinations are taking place in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.
Only a few months ago, we saw video of US soldiers murdering several unarmed civilians from a helicopter. If assassinations are terrorism in Arizona, then they are terrorism when we do them in other places. This is not a cause for hope. It is a sign of defeat.