I’ve found that America is becoming a very divided nation. It was not long ago that many people, especially in my generation (the younger part of Gen X), didn’t really care about politics. Now, it seems I’m talking with my friends about politics all the time. . .and I’m afraid I may lose some friends because of the Presidential election. Because I support Bush? No. Because I support Kerry? No. Because I’m not sold out to either of them. I don’t really want to vote for Nader, either, but there may be some reasonable arguements for that.
Now, I know I’m not going to really lose any of my close friends, they’re more reasonable than that. However, here in the Heartland of America especially, I feel like I’m being targeted by two warring groups. (and I like hyperbole)
Now, along these lines, there is an article in US News and World report titled A divisive campaign has rubbed emotions raw. Here’s a paragraph from the article:
Caught up in one of the most divisive election seasons since the Vietnam War (when Richard Nixon edged Hubert Humphrey by less than 1 percent of the popular vote), the LaLibertes are hardly the only ones who’ve seen politics begin to sour some of their closest relationships. Egged on by campaign rivals who have all but called each other liars and emboldened by partisan shout shows like Fox’s Hannity & Colmes and movies like Michael Moore’s finger-pointing Fahrenheit 9/11, America’s angry electorate has found it increasingly difficult to stop political disagreements from flaring into outright relationship-breakers. The depth of the nation’s polarization is the subject of considerable scholarly debate (story, Page 42). But with just a couple of weeks to go until the election, there’s little doubt that the atmosphere around America’s lunch counters and dining-room tables has grown downright prickly.
I’ve sensed this same feeling, though not to the extent that the family in the article has. I come from a rather conservative family– my dad watches O’Reilly and Hannity & Colmes and listens to Rush Limbaugh nearly every day. My mother went to high school with the Limbaughs and David Limbaugh is still a family friend (I’ve even been to his home). I, on the other hand, tend to be a political moderate. I care about the social issues that have been championed largely by the Democratic Party, yet I’m a proponent of small government, traditionally a conservative value.
So, there some differences of opinion. Yet, there’s little debate. I can’t seem to engage many people on either side of the middle in a reasonable discussion of the men or the issues. I agree with John Stewart in his lecture given on Crossfire the other night- the two sides are engaging in a war of ‘talking points’ which tend to be divisive and inflammatory. There is no real debate, no exchange of ideas, only a clash of rhetoric.
Now, for some insight into why, here’s some more from the article:
Meanwhile, the Republicans have had their own torches to carry. With the party largely transformed over the past two decades into a full-blown conservative movement, many have taken on an almost missionary zeal, led by conservative Christian members whose stands on moral issues–reinforced by President Bill Clinton’s antics–have become keystones of the Republican platform. “There’s a sense among many Republicans that their stands on the issues aren’t just about better policy choices; they’re matters of personal morality and principle,” says Bill Chaloupka, a political scientist at Colorado State University. “So anyone who disagrees with you isn’t just disagreeing, they’re insulting your core values and threatening your way of life.”
(Before I go on, note that here is also a section in the article discussing why Democrats have become more dogmatic, as well.)
I’ve experienced this phenomenon myself. When I told one of my more conservative friends that I wasn’t sure who I was voting for, he told me, more or less, that voting for Bush was a moral obligation. Why? Abortion. Hold on now, is this really an issue in this election?
Officially, Kerry is pro-choice and Bush is pro-life. However, I don’t believe Bush has done much at all the in the last four years to reduce the number of abortions in the US (the abortion rate has actually been declining since the early 90s). The only thing he could conceivably do to effect this issue is appoint a Supreme Court Justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade. I’m not going to vote for a candidate because he may have the opportunity to appoint a justice who might overturn Roe v. Wade, even if I am pro-life. I refuse to be a single-issue voter, especially on something that is so uncertain as this.
Am I jaded? Yes. Am I idealistic? Probably. Can I still bitch if I want to? Damn right, its my blog.
In closing, I quote the closing of the US News article:
“If some of my kids vote for Bush, I say go for it. If the others vote for Kerry, go for it. I just hope and pray that when this is over that they say, ‘let’s work together,’ because we desperately need to take care of our country.”
Fellow Americans, let’s be friends. We live in a great nation of great opportunity, let’s make the most of it together.
