This is Shirley Nagel, a FIRED teacher from Michigan, and a RNC delegate. Ms. Nagel makes my Manic Monday list today because, quite simply, she's a nasty excuse for a human being and paints every decent, non-judgmental, intelligent Republican (yes, they're out there) in a bad light. Coming from an ol'blue New York Democrat, this is saying quite a bit.
You see, on Halloween, Ms. Nagel decided not to give candy to children whose parents were Obama supporters, using the same tired lines that the entire mean-spirited Republican campaign has been using in this, the Rovian era (i.e., scary Muslim, unqualified socialist, and so on), which has made me, nearly every Democrat, and several moderate Republicans ashamed of the country we live in.
This post, however, is not about political or religious beliefs. This post is about the mean-spirited-ness of this woman who, of course, paints herself as a righteous Christian, in line with the Republican ideals. It's one thing to believe what you like -- far be it from me to tell you otherwise. It's one thing to educate children about the political process, and explain your reasoning in an AGE APPROPRIATE manner (a five year old kid doesn't understand about the politics of mud-slinging, folks. My five year old nephew thinks he should vote for Obama because his younger brother, my other nephew, looks like Obama. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was right. Never mind that, at 5 years old, he doesn't understand that he CAN'T vote, bless his heart...).
It's another thing entirely to deny CHILDREN -- who wield NO political influence, and probably, like my nephew, have such a small understanding of the world to begin with (he doesn't think we should vote for McCain because, like his grandfather [my father], McCain is 72 years old, "and he has to take his medicine, and when he takes his medicine, he doesn't feel very well." Do you think he, for all his intelligence, understands "privatizing Social Security" or "no pull-out timetable for the Iraqi war"?!) -- equal rights to HALLOWEEN CANDY (because, y'know, spreading the chocolate wealth around is SO Socialist...) because you don't agree with their parents' politics.
The sad part is, before the Republicans began catering to the racist Dixiecrats and the fringe Religious Right, it WAS known as the party of fairness and reason. If Barack Obama becomes President tomorrow, in a very real way, it is because of a Republican's efforts over 150 years ago (Lincoln) that was the first in a progressive process of civil rights and equality. Even John McCain -- for all that he sold his soul to the Lee Atawater School of Slander -- was, not so long ago, a true maverick who was unafraid to reach across the aisle to the most liberal of Senators (Feingold and Kennedy -- who both prove that Obama is quite MODERATE in his voting record) to pass truly fair and balanced legislation.
Unfortunately, for every McCain-Feingold Act, there's a Shirley Nagel. I truly hope that, whoever wins tomorrow (the writing's on the wall, but let's be elusive so the networks can get their ratings...), they will have the decency and the courage to reach across the aisle and be truly non-partisan in their rule, and render idiots like Shirley Nagel completely obsolete.
