Debating Policy with a Liberal

It’s the political season and discussions always turn to politics.  So, I thought I would make a few suggestions about how we might engage when encountering  those of a different political ilk.  Long ago I learned the best way to debate  policy with a liberal is by asking one of three simple questions: What’s the hard evidence?   How much will it cost?  and, Compared to what?

Sticking to those three questions will give you the best chance at reasoned dialogue without getting bogged down listening to liberal ideology.  And by all means, don’t discuss personalities – stick to policy.  But personalities are a part of the political equation – always have been.    So, let’s get something out on the table right now, Trump is an A-hole, and Biden is a criminal, and let’s leave it at that and focus on what policies provide the greatest benefit to the American people and which policies don’t.

Personally, there are four topics I’m keenly interested in and believe they should be discussed due to their importance to the nation at large – discussions I’d like to engage in without obfuscation.

One – why was it necessary for President Biden to issue his DEI mandates throughout the government, including the military vis-à-vis the…

• The Thirteen Amendment,
• the Civil Rights Act of 1866,
• the Fourteenth Amendment,
• the Fifteenth Amendment,
• the Civil Rights Act of 1871,
• the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
• the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
• the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and
• the Fair Housing Act of the same year?

What has DEI done that the aforementioned acts or laws haven’t, and how has DEI expanded the notion of federalism as envisioned by the Founders?

Two – how has the Black Lives Matter organization benefited the black community since the riots of 2020 and the death of that liberal icon George Floyd?  How many and what kind of scholarships does or has BLM provided?  How many charter schools has BLM built?  How much money has BLM collected in donations and how much of it have they invested in rebuilding neighborhoods that were all but destroyed during the riots of 2020?  And has BLM compensated any of the 37 people killed during those peaceful protests?

Three – how has America benefited by the Biden administration allowing eight to ten million unvaccinated, unvetted illegal aliens to enter this country?  Has it made life better for everyday Americans?  Has it reduced the crime rate or improved the quality of life in our big cities?  Has it reduced HHS spending?  Has it made our public school more effective when teachers have to teach students in a hundred different languages?  And speaking of education, why is canceling student debt a good idea?  And how much sense does it make to reward people who do not honor their financial commitments by taxing the people who do?

Four – how has woke ideology improved the fighting capability and readiness of our military?  How has DEI increased recruiting or induced soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to re-up their enlistments?

Those are legitimate questions, but I don’t expect straightforward discussion from the left on any of these matters because woke ideology isn’t based on hard evidence, it’s based  primarily on Tik Toc videos and cute quips such as, “everyone must pay their fair share!”   Nonetheless, we must do our best to discuss these matters from the standpoint of how they benefit or hurt the nation.  At the same time  pay close attention to the actual points liberals are actually arguing.  Far too many on the left tend to regurgitate bumper-sticker talking points because, well, it’s easy to make vacuous slogans such as “Jesus was a liberal” appear pithy.  And lastly, when you make a point, and the individual responds to something other than your point or  to a question you didn’t ask or a matter that’s only tangentially related to the topic, stop immediately and re-focus the discussion, because liberal policies seldom stand the test of examination.

In closing, biggest issue when discussing politics is realizing how much obfuscation is involved, so be aware of canned b.s., and stick to the three basic questions…

• where’s your hard evidence.
• how much will it cost, and
• compared to what?

Quote of the day: “History is not there for us to like or dislike.  It is there for us to learn from.  And if it offends you, even better- because then you are less likely to repeat it.  It is not anyone’s to erase; it belongs to all of us.” – Unknown