Well, Republicans, what can I say? It stings, I know, but instead of lashing out, bemoaning the current state of affairs and buying an island where things can go your way, maybe it's time to do a little self-reflection and turn this whole thing into a teachable moment. At the risk of angering my party, I'm going to be a good sport and offer a bit of advice to get you started on your sojourn of enlightenment: Next election cycle, try to find a candidate that does not hate us.
"Us" is a broad category so let me break it down for you. "Us" is all Americans: African Americans, Asian Americans, Italian Americans, Mexican Americans, you get the drift. We were all from somewhere else before we came here, except for Native Americans, so it might be good not to hate them too. Then, there are sub-categories: women, the poor, the elderly, the LGBT (you might want to get used to that acronym). Don't forget beliefs: Catholics, Jews, Muslims, atheists (yes, atheists too), Mormons and the list goes on. This is a lot to take in, so here is a little phrase to help: U.S. is us. Get it? The United States is all of us.
It's scary, right? Women are controlling their uteruses, men are kissing men, an African-American man has been elected president not once but twice and good lord there is a lesbian in the Senate! Things aren't the same anymore. To be frankly honest with you, they haven't been that way for a long time now. Here is the bitter truth Republicans: You are becoming a minority. The angry white man thing isn't working for you anymore.
So what to do? Think more Modern Family and less Mad Men. Go out and find a candidate who doesn't keep a binder full of women and who thinks equality for all Americans is a good thing. Heck, why not find a woman to put on your ticket? If she is a lesbian, all the better.
I know what you're thinking; you've already put a woman on the ticket. But Sarah Palin is really an angry white man in drag and before you even start thinking about Ann Coulter, let me stop you right there. Ann Coulter hates everyone. Ann Coulter hates herself, which in a weird way kind of makes me like her.
The devil is in the details. Find a candidate with a good voting record. Show me a candidate who has voted for sound economic policy and for equality and I might join those guys in the log cabin. OK, I probably won't do that, but maybe? I will vote for your candidate.
Your party is going to be doing a lot of finger pointing in the next few days. It was the tea party, or the white evangelicals or the moderates. That's normal. It's a little bit of a dysfunctional family right now. But take a look around. Do you have a wife, a daughter, a mother, a gay son, nephew, niece or cousin, or how about minority in-laws? Do you love them? Find someone to lead your party who loves them too.
William Dameron's personal blog is The Authentic Life.