Cheryl Mendoza

So this is not what was on my agenda for the morning, but I had to sit and quickly get it out.  I was doing my normal morning check of Yahoo to see if there was anything interesting going on, and I saw a Washington Post article that caught my attention.

“Marco Rubio just gave a really important speech – but almost no one paid attention” 

Now that headline coming from the Washington Post was enough to get me to read the article.  Even better than that though, they posted the video of the speech.  After reading the article, I watched the speech in its entirety and I would encourage everyone to watch it also.  I am glad I watched, as I took away two important things to consider.

First, it is about how we are going down a rabbit hole, my words not his, of not being able to have civilized debate on the issues.  He sees that as a problem, and on that point I agree wholeheartedly.   It is about eight minutes long, but really worth your time.  And while I have had this type of opinion for a while now, I am glad that I am not the only one thinking….what the heck?    I think you can disagree with this man on everything, but can agree that we have to communicate and try to understand each other, even when we hold different views.  Especially when we hold different views!

Now I did say that there were two important points, and this is the second one.  I did read the article from the Post, and while the author agreed with what the Senator said about the state of debate in our country, he also seemed to cast aspersions on the Senator himself.  Just reminding us that he is a politician, and you know?  That Rubio was saying this maybe not from his heart, but because it would serve his “long-term best interests”.   After I read the article, I watched the video itself, and agreed that it contained important thoughts.  So I decided that I would post it, but did not necessarily want to post the article with it.  So I Googled the speech, and that is when I really came to my second point.  I saw more headlines about the speech, but these had a different take.

“The Marco Rubio knockdown of Elizabeth Warren no liberal media outlet will cover”

Each side took the same speech, saw it through their own beliefs and gave it a little spin.  How can the same words have such different reactions?   What does it show me?  Well, it says to me that when we hear the news, we only get part of the information.  From both sides.  So do your due diligence.  Before you get all hot and bothered by someone’s remarks, go to the source.  Find the video, document or whatever!  If you can’t do that, then hold back that little bit in your brain that acknowledges that you might be wrong.  That you might not have been given the whole picture.  Maybe that will even help us with understanding each other.

So I would encourage you to listen to the speech.  To not worry about who is saying it, why he is saying it, and where he is saying it.  To take his remarks, on their own merit.  I know this is hard.  After you listen, consider his remarks and see how you feel just about the words said.  Make up your mind as to whether they make sense or not, and if you can take some wisdom out of them.  After that, you may go back to agreeing or disagreeing with him, as is your pleasure.

*I did not post a link on purpose.  If you are interested in seeing the video just Google Marco Rubio speech and you will find it.