Four years ago I thought the political environment couldn’t get any worse. The two parties were in constant disagreement, same-party candidates were in-fighting, political opponents were at each other’s throats, the TV ads were negative, and it all started about two years before the presidential election was to take place.
Sadly, it went downhill from there.
Forget that nearly ALL political ads are negative. Forget that the candidates genuinely hate each other. And for a moment, forget that Washington is getting nothing accomplished.
Now we’ve got we the people taking things to the next level by spewing venom, bashing candidates, and being far more confrontational than the politicians have ever been. Friends are at odds, family members aren’t talking, and co-workers avoid any political issue like the plague.It’s embarrassing how childish people are acting this election year and the lack of respect shown to one another is truly shameful. The elections, perhaps even the political process in general, are turning us against one another. The we-versus-them mindset is trumping the united-we-stand idea.
First, there are the attacks – not just on the candidates, but their supporters. No one should have to be berated for wanting to vote for Romney. No one should be shunned if they feel Obama is the better choice. Some people are spending far too much of their waking moments trying to force others to think as they do.
Secondly, there’s the ignorance factor. Many of us simply don’t know which candidate is right or wrong. At best we think we do based on stuff we read on Twitter, Facebook, blogging sites and 10-second sound bites. Both candidates lie through their teeth – or at the very least have a warped version of reality – and few people take the time to seek out the truth.
Read some of those “Fact Checks” on various things the candidates say. You might be actually be surprised to see that the other guy’s policies and vision match up closer to yours than originally thought.
Next: stubbornness. Once someone makes up their mind, it seems closed forever. Perhaps it’s an unhealthy by-product of the 2-party system or maybe just how our brains are wired. Yet the middle-of-the-road, so-called independent or undecided, voters seem to have the ability to decide based on looking at the ‘big picture’; by considering all the issues. And you know what? They’re the ones with all the power right now.
Think about that for a moment: the independent/undecided voters are the ones holding all the power right now. They have the votes that both Obama and Romney desperately need to win.
We the people, vote these guys into office. We give them the capacity to make decisions on our behalf. Yet we also help, unwittingly perhaps, in their overall strategy by being hateful and uninformed. This needs to end before our democracy does.
I say we hit the ground running in the primaries, and then we team up for the big ticket right before somebody gets nominated. I have the military experience, so that means I should be the POTUS candidate. You get VP.
I’ve been waiting for a time that I could finally read this. I’ve found over the past few months that almost everything you’ve pointed out in this post are true. I’ve lost followers on both Twitter and Facebook. Not that I really care about followers, but I’ve actually had long-time friends stop talking to me.
My wife and sister-in-law refuse to let me talk about politics with my brother-in-law, for fear that our family will be forever torn apart.
I’m an Army veteran, a paramedic, a former firefighter, and I currently work for a human services agency that provides mental health support for children on Medicaid. In one Facebook thread that was started by a friend of mine a few weeks ago, I was called a lunatic, un-American, spineless, sheeple, stupid, and worst of all, a traitor to my country. All by people that I’ve never met in my life.
I do have to point out that my friend that started the thread, on his page, has never made a derogitory comment about me when I was voicing my opinion when it comes to politics. So there’s that, I guess.
I just can’t believe that so many people were so vehemently opposed to the candidate that I supported, that they were willing to verbally abuse me to the point of calling me a traitor.
Something IS wrong in this country. And it needs to change very soon. I think we’re on the precipice of another civil conflict. And I don’t think this one will be as peaceful as the civil rights movement.
By the way, my name is Brian Woodyard, and I’m running for President in 2016, and I’m asking for your vote…and a small financial contribution.
I, too, am running in 2016 which means – apparently by default – I have to be against everything you support. Unless you support the same things I do which then means you’re wrong. (Wait, what?)
Obama: We need to invest in early childhood education.
Romney: You’re wrong on that point, Mr. President.
Romney: We need to invest in early childhood education.
Obama: You couldn’t be more wrong, Governor.
Years ago I did a speech on election issues and the media. They had people list issues that were important to them (roads, education for their kids, social security, etc.) and as the election neared, had them list again.
Just about every time, their issues changed to what the media reported and NOT what was important to them.
If people kept true to what’s important to them and their lives – and voted based on which candidate better represented those issues, I think things could start to change. Yet the media tells us what to think and the candidates/parties spend MILLIONS on the messaging.
You are right, Miller – it’s just sad. I’ve been saying all along that if more people took your advice and researched things like voting records, veto history, past business practices, etc that NEITHER of these two ass-clowns would be anywhere near the White House. But the level of ridiculous that has become the American campaign… ugh, what a circus!
I can’t wait until this election is over! Enough already. It feels like it’s been going on forever. This is a refreshing post. Finally, something non-partisan, standing up for America.
This has been ugly, for sure. I only hope that when it’s over – no matter who wins – a sense of civility returns among the masses.
An interesting stat I heard the other day says that a candidate can get around 31% of the popular vote and still win the electoral kollidge and thus, the presidency.
I’ll check that for you. My husband is a political scientist 🙂