Think of the Children
After more than 200 years, a relationship is bound to get stale. That’s what’s being played out on the news each day as Republicans and Democrats snap at each other like feral cats with bipolar disorder. It’s like watching our parents go through a divorce. It’s time for a Dr. Phil relationship intervention to get these two parties speaking again.
Like most relationships, a breakdown in communication is the first sign of trouble. Recently Vice-President Joe Biden held a discussion about the debt ceiling. (I think that’s a White House remodeling project he’s working on.) But instead of talking, two key Republicans walked out of the room—and went to live with their mother. They were heard to say, “Oh, no. He can NOT talk to me like that!”
And, you might not have noticed, but there seems to be a manipulating power struggle going on between the two parties. One party calls her girlfriends and says, “If only he would change, things could be perfect.” And the other party tweets, “I’m not going to back down, because I’m RIGHT!”
Finance issues are a hot-button topic for any relationship, and the Repubs and Demos are no exception. One party is looking through the credit card statements and comes across a charge that cannot be explained rationally. So he confronts the second party.
“What did you buy for $3 billion—and where did you get that kind of money?”
Second party response (usually a distraction): “Oh, yeah! Well, I found Facebook photos of you drinking tequila in Cabo with your bimbo secretary.”
In the meantime, we, the people, sit in our bedrooms with pillows over our heads, listening to our parents fling accusations around like lemon meringue at a pie-throwing competition.
“You spend too much!” “You don’t care about my needs!” “You never listen to me!” Blah, blah, blah.
Note to Republican and Democrat leaders: this constant fighting is affecting the children. One party favors the oldest child, Wealthy. This child can do no wrong and gets unlimited funding for pretty much anything—from fancy invisible jets to caviar-coated toothpaste. The other party favors the youngest child, Poor. This needy child gets all kinds of free stuff to make up for the fact the other parent favors Wealthy.
However, the second child, Middle-Class, is left with no one looking out for his interests. And he’s slowly spiraling into depression with unemployment, high gas and food prices, and his house is now worth. . .ummmm. . .nothing.
So here’s what Dr. Phil might suggest to remedy the situation. First, take an interest in each other’s activities. President Obama and John Boehner recently played golf together. (And Obama didn’t throw his clubs in frustration when Boehner kept crashing the golf cart into the shrubbery.)
Second, don’t place blame. I know it’s hard when the opposite party seems to be an uneducated gaggle of magpies, but be patient. Third, don’t lie. Because you KNOW you will be caught and it will be broadcast on every network to every country in every universe. And last, find new ways to negotiate old issues. When did “compromise” become a forbidden word?
I understand this animosity is learned behavior. Politicians have fought like dungeons and dragons since the ink dried on the Constitution. But, as Dr. Phil might say, “For heaven’s sake, think of the children!”
For more Life and Laughter, visit Peri’s blog at https://perikinder.wordpress.com.
