In the interestingly-titled column, “10 reasons not to kill Bush,” for the Oregon Daily Emerald, University of Oregon student Jennifer McBride concludes that the vitriol of some Bush-haters makes her feel “ashamed to be a Democrat:”
I don’t hate President Bush. I dislike a lot of his administration’s choices, but I think he’s a good man doing a difficult job. As a leader, you’re always going to be hated. I am too often shocked by the vitriolic repulsion many people feel for our leader and America in general, especially because the loathing is often poorly informed. I’ve met people on this campus who see America as the worst human rights abuser in the world (unlike the angelic paradise of Cambodia) and people who sway liberal not because they actually know anything about issues but because it’s popular.
Liberalism has to be more than a college fad or a collection of loudmouths whose idiotic comments stir headlines. The rabid dislike some people feel for a man they’ve never even met makes me ashamed to be a Democrat.
While I can’t say that I share Ms. McBride’s politics, I do appreciate her commitment to a liberalism of ideas rather than one of following the crowd or hating the adversary. Let us hope that there are more college students like her–on both sides of the political aisle.
Hat tip: Drudge.