Posted by
Josh Dyer on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 7:56:45 PM
An oft-quoted statement by Michelle Obama is that America in 2008 is a "downright mean country." Although my interpretation of the basis for this may be different from Mrs. Obama, refuting it is hard, given the negativity of political bloggers, columnists, and comments on the internet. Instead of getting excited about the prospect of a landmark election, American voters are being subjected to the political equivalent of "The Jerry Springer Show." Bloggers, columnists, cable news and talk radio hosts are subjecting us to a barrage of trivial information and accusations about members of both tickets. This mass-media version of bathroom wall writing is neither constructive nor healthy, given the extremely polarized state of American politics.
I do not care about a candidate's private family matters, how many houses they own, or what they might have said or heard in chruch. I do about how they govern and if I can believe what they tell me. Collectively, we Americans
cannot make up our minds about what we really want from our
politicians. We want change and new faces, but criticize some
candidates that don't have enough experience. We want a "man (woman) of
the people," but when a candidate shows humanity, we seize upon them
like a pack of wolves. While we're busy dissecting the cost of
wardrobes and whether or not a female candidate is trying to show
cleavage, the real issues facing the country go largely unnoticed.
The operative word in this campaign is
change. Americans claim to want a change in policy, but that is really beyond our control. What we
can control
is to change the political atmosphere itself. Unfettered polarization
is a cancer that destroys the democratic process. When people are so
adherent to ideologies that they are willing to believe whatever bad
things their party digs up about the opposition, while simultaneously
ignoring or excusing the same charges levied at their own candidate,
they are enslaving themselves. We have an opportunity for change, but
will we embrace it? Or will we continue to relish in the political
version of "TMZ," hoping for the next sliver of trash about the
opposing candidate that will make us feel better about ourselves. If
so, we provide irrefutable evidence that we live in a "downright mean
country."