"Our Opponents Are Not Evil"

We are racing headlong towards next month’s Midterm Elections. Much is being made about the consequential nature of this particular election for our nation and for the state of our democracy. Given the turbulence of recent years, how could it possibly be otherwise? I do not mean to infer a partisan sentiment. For in truth, no matter where your political sensibilities lie, you likely see the upcoming elections in a somewhat black-white, binary fashion. Whichever party you favor, you likely see the other party in a relatively dim light. Though I certainly have my own point-of-view, I am trying to step back and take a broader view. Nonetheless, I find it hard to feel good about most of the actors on today’s political stage, irrespective of their party affiliation.

In my darker moments, I find myself muttering that in light of so many of today's examples of leadership, we are less a Democracy, and we are more of a Hypocrisy. Day after day I see core principles and values being set aside for the sake of political gain. I find it hard to maintain respect for those whose faces and voices fill our newscasts. I am truly sickened by the hyperbole and vicious rhetoric tossed into the public by flamethrowers from both sides of the political divide. The zero-sum game of today’s politics is toxic, and I fear, it is destructive, in ways that will take a long time to undo.

At Yom Kippur, I wrote and spoke about my admiration for the late Senator John McCain. Though I shared precious few positions with Senator McCain, I admired his humanity, his service to our country, and his capacity to understand and articulate the reality that elected officials on both sides of the aisle want what is best for our nation. Time and again he would acknowledge the humanity and essential goodness of an opponent. And he did so even in the face of derision from folks gathered at a political rally or amongst members of his own party.

In the past few days, I believe we have seen another example worth noticing. Soon-to-be-former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, with whom I also have my differences, earned my admiration for a stand she took late last week. In a speech at charity dinner in New York, she tossed out quite a few laugh lines, which included poking fun at herself. But Ambassador Haley also took aim at a serious theme when she stated: “In our toxic political environment, I’ve heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil. In America, our political opponents are not evil. In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war — that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children — that is evil. In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death — that was evil. In the last two years, I’ve seen true evil,” Haley continued. “We have some serious political differences here at home. But our opponents are not evil. They’re just our opponents.”

How refreshing! I wonder if any of the hundreds of candidates running for office – for the US Senate, the House of Representatives, any of the governorships up for election, or at the state and local levels heard her statement. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear politicians from across the spectrum stand up and endorse her words?  Of course, I would most love to see it come from the highest level of our nation’s government, from the Administration from which Ambassador Haley will soon depart, and from its leader. I am not holding my breath on that.

I believe that in addition to voting on November 6^th, we must each take the time to let all our elected officials know that we heard the Ambassador’s words and we must demand that her message become one that all of our leaders are prepared to stand by and live by.