Consistency Is The Key To Authenticity

 It is amazing to me how much Facebook has changed my world. I love FB because it allows me to keep up with friends (254 at the present) that I just would not have the time to interact with if it wasn't for FB. I enjoy hearing about friends lives, seeing pictures of whatever it is that is important to them, saying a prayer for someone in need or just, and lets be honest; being nosey.
 Part of this wonderful interaction is hotly contested debates and never more so then in this election season. This week several debates broke out and became pretty hostile. I was surprised and disappointed by the people that went on the attack but even more then my disappointment I was shocked by the inconsistency of their argument.
  As I thought about it over the weekend (after all it is hunting season and I have to do something while I freeze my butt off) I realized that being inconsistent it the biggest enemy to being authentic. Authentic is defined as; of undisputed origin; genuine. Synonyms for authentic are; real, true, verifiable. I couldn't help but think about consistency and authenticity when I thought about some of the political debates that raged last week on FB.
 A friend of mine (and anyone that agreed with him) was attacked pretty harshly in a post he wrote about being consistent. His point was simply we have to be consistent in how we react. You can't give your party or political affiliation a pass for rude behavior and not accept it in the opposing party. The situation that was in question was how rude and unprofessional VP Joe Biden had been in his laughing and cutting off of Congressman Ryan. Of course conservatives (of which I am a card carrying member) howled at the injustice of it all and what a lunatic VP Biden had been, but not one comment was made about how Gov. Romney had cut off President Obama several times and had been rather aggressive with him during their debate. This is clearly a double standard and inconsistent. I have to say I strongly agree with my friend; we have to be consistent.
 Let me bring up another illustration that I think will make my point clearer. During a campaign stop in Ohio President Obama made the statement, " you didn't build that". He was referring to small business owners building their businesses. FOX News (Fair and Balanced???) immediately jumped on that as did the Romney campaign. The first thing I read about the comment was "President Obama said the government built your small business". I was so angry when I read it that I immediately posted something on FB, asking the President where my help was. As a small business owner I have worked 18 hr days for the past 6 months to try and keep my head above water. What do you mean I didn't build this business? I was so upset that I went to the first video I could find and watched it, ready to throw my laptop across the room when I witnessed his blatant attack on me, a small business owner. What I saw shocked me. I started by watching the whole clip and I have to say that I agreed with what the president said. I didn't build my business alone. In fact I had an investor who took a chance on me and has helped me grow my property management business. I had friends from my time in the military that trusted me with their homes while they were deployed or out of state, all giving me the chance to learn on the job. There are several people in my life that give me advice and wisdom when I needed it. This great country I live in provides the infrastructure that I need to be successful by building, paving and plowing roads so I can get to and from the places I manage. It also provides a system (even with its faults) that allows me to compete in business. President Obama you are right, (at least on this) I didn't build my business alone.
 My point is not to necessarily argue the point of whether or not I built my business but to show how conservatives responded. FB and Twitter were full of comments blasting the President for his attack on business owners. Well if you can watch the full video with all the context and make that assumption, then feel free to be angry but what happens when your candidate berates 47% of the country. I didn't read one post from any of my conservative friends blasting Romney for his lack of empathy for those struggling in this country.
 I did the same thing with Romney as I did with Obama. I went to the video clip to see for myself however, this time I went with the attitude the media was just out to get him. I watched the video clip not once but three times to try and give him the benefit of the doubt and I was appalled. In fact I was more appalled by what he said then Obama's "you didn't build that" comment. What Romney said was shameful and destructive. The fact is he berated most of my friends on FB and me. He was standing at a $50,000 per plate dinner event telling the very wealthy that we didn't matter. The fact is probably 85% of my friends on FB wish they were making $50,000 a year and that includes the people protecting us, our military. Please, please.... one of my conservative friends, please respond and tell me where was the indignation and rage that was directed at Obama's comments. It wasn't there because Romney was our guy.
 So what is my point? It is simply that inconsistency defeats authenticity every time. How can Romney stand in front of a microphone and say he cares about all Americans after that comment. His authenticity is marred. We don't find this in the candidates alone but also in the party platforms. The Republicans will tell you they care about spending when they vote to increase the debt limit. Don't forget the last president to balance the budget was a Democrat. Or my all time favorite is when the Democrats say they are for the poor and for those that have no voice but they support the wholesale killing of the unborn. How can you say you look after the weak when you are willing to destroy the weakest among us. It is simply not consistent and therefore I can be assured you are not authentic.
 Let me make this last point to drive this idea home. A majority of Americans will rage about the financial crisis. You won't find anyone on either side of the political spectrum that thinks we are in good shape economically. They may differ on who is responsible but they will all say it is bad and someone is to blame other then them. But here is an interesting fact. How many of us have our personal finances in order. I find it a little hard to stomach someone complaining about the way the government spends money when they can't control their budgets. That is a hard thought and tough to swallow..I think I just pissed myself off. Don't hold your government to a standard you won't hold yourself to.
 What we need from our government officials and from each other is consistency. When we show we are consistent then we can be authentic and work can get done. I find this in every area of my life. I want to be consistent in my faith, as a father, friend, son, business owner and Facebooker (you may read some crazy stuff from me). People are drawn to whats real and authentic. I believe this is why people are disenfranchised with the government. Voters would argue that it isn't real and it's mainly lies from both sides so why bother being a part. I have always believed the most effective change starts small (grassroots) so why not start being consistent in your political beliefs and causes. Stop drinking the cool-aid from FOX News, CNN, MSNBC and any of the other networks. Hold President Obama or Gov. Romney to the same standard as you would the candidate you won't support and watch how quickly the dialogue will become workable. If we as voters would hold all our elected officials to this standard then watch how fast we would get a budget past and who know maybe you would be compelled to make one for yourself.

Thanks For Reading
Steve