Engendering Hate

I've been around for quite a few years, and I've been a "political junkie" for as long as I can remember. (I even argued politics--Adlai vs. Ike--in high school political science class.) But I can't remember a time when so many smears were launched from political campaigns, and so many potential voters evidenced hate and intolerance. Admitting to my own possible bias, the worst of it seems to be coming from John McCain's camp. To give him credit, he has tried to tone down some of the worst of it: taking the mike from the woman who called Obama an Arab and telling her that Obama was a "fine and decent man." But he hasn't stopped the hate-mongering coming from Sarah Palin at her rallies, nor has he repudiated any of the chants coming from the crowds that attend his and Palin's rallies. I think we will all be glad when this campaign is over, and I hope that the controversy raised during the campaign season (which has gone on forever this election) will fade away and not persist to color and sour the next president's term of office--which promises to be a tough row to hoe regardless of which candidate wins.

A Nation of Immigrants

I've been watching the--repeated--coverage of one of John McCain's rallies. The one where the woman is "afraid" of Barack Obama because he's an Arab and a Muslim. Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that neither is true, ours is a nation of immigrants. My own ancestors came to this country many, many years ago, but they were still immigrants. At the time of my maternal (great x ??) grandparents' journey to this country, immigrants were seeking the right to worship their God without persecution. In many parts of the world, religious persecution remains a problem today. I hope that is not true in this country. Barack Obama, of course, is not an Arab, and he is not a Muslim. He is the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. He is a Christian and has always been a Christian. Political campaigns have always been hotbeds of controversy--many times conducted with somewhat convoluted versions of the truth and sometimes with outright lies. I think that this particular election may be even worse than usual, partly because Barack Obama is such an unusual name--not like Bush or Clinton--and partly because our candidates for president in the past have always been white. Many voters have to struggle to get used to the idea of a black man as president. But this is such an important election that I hope we will all make the effort to vote the issues and not let skin color dictate our decision.

VP Debate

Unfortunately, I had a class last night and was unable to watch the debate. And I really wanted to see it; I had hopes for some high drama there. However, I understand from the talking heads that both sides played it safe, and there were no major gaffes. It looks like the polls are giving the nod to Joe Biden as the winner. That shouldn't surprise any of us: Biden has years of experience, and he is comfortable with both foreign and domestic policy. Personally, I cringe when Sarah Palin falls into her "I'm gonna" and "you betcha" jargon. I keep picturing her in serious discussions with the heads of state of some foreign nations. I understand that's the McCain campaign's way of showing her connection with blue-collar America--the "6-pack" crowd. A woman who walks in the park each day about the same time I do put it extremely well this morning: "America doesn't need a drinking buddy; that's what we've had for the last 8 years!"