Random musings on parenting and politics

As it's been looking more and more like Susan Rice is going to be Biden's VP pick (full disclosure: not a fan, for reasons that have zip to do with what I'm about to write about), I've been reading a bit about her, reminding myself about her tenure in the Clinton and Obama admins etc. As random searches can, mine turned up one piece of information that totally threw me for a loop.

Susan Rice, a Democrat, someone who core principles appear to be solidly based on Democratic principles of betterment for people, worked as US Ambassador to further a classic liberal agenda (gay rights around the world, climate change, anti-poverty, women's rights) has a son who is a MAGA.

She raised a Trump supporter. A bright one, admittedly, but a Trump supporter, which, I'm sorry, at this point in time, means a human being devoid of compassion, willing to condone racism, cruelty, and contempt towards women, and willing to ignore basic science and public health to further the political goals of a Führer wannabe.

I hope for her that it's just a revolt-again-parent(s?)-phase for him (he appears to be about AC's age), and that eventually he'll get a clue.

I don't blame her. Kids are not infinitely malleable. You can't just decide you're going to raise good human beings and have it happen, there is a certain amount of luck and circumstances involved in parenting, and that is part of what absolutely sucks about it. A little bit of this and a little bit of that does not equal the exact formula for bright-driven-compassionate-ethical-athletic-whatever kid.

I can imagine this causes her much pain, especially as an African-American woman, watching her son follow this cult. I know each one of Anne-Chloe's horrid decisions (latest: they have a roommate, so she's now cleaning-and-cooking-mommy to two man-boys and a dog) makes me sick to my stomach. Watching my child, who I know was a driven, intelligent go-getter turn into Chris's little wifey is revolting, this is not a peer relationship, based on respect). But at least, at her core, at Perry's core, and Linnea's too, I can see the compassion for others, I can see the basic "bones" of what I think constitutes a human being I can be confident sending out into the world, in that they will always try to be on the side of feminism, LGTBQ right, zsxxxxxxxxxxxxxxanti-racism, anti-racism, compassion, human rights, the environment, and will always support the effort to create a better society for all. (zsxxxxxxxxxxxxxx was Auri's contribution. She probably meant to type "pro-cat-anti-dog"). Seriously, I feel like I can, at this point, trust my kids' ethics.

I despise AC's boyfriend, I think he's a sorry excuse a a partner for her, but he's a solid-core Democrat.

At this point in history, especially in the middle of a public health emergency, I think that where you fall on the political spectrum does define who you are a a human being. There was a time when being a Republican meant some profound differences of opinion, on economics and societal values, but there could be "good people" on both sides. That, I think, is no longer the case. Anyone who sides with the current Trump-imbued GOP is someone whose core beliefs are suspect.