One Nation, Divided

Today, after months of intense fighting and spending close to four billions dollars on campaigns, Americans are headed to the polls. If the pundits are right, Republicans will take control of the House, make some gains in the Senate, and come out victorious in more than a few gubernatorial contests as well. History shows that it isn’t unusual for the majority party to lose seats in a midterm election, so in some respects, this election is not all that remarkable.

What is remarkable is the level of hostility, fury, and invective shown by both sides over the last few months. Remarkably, the right is incensed over what they perceive to be President Obama’s and the Democrat’s overreaching, left-wing agenda, while the left is angry that the President has failed to fulfill many of his basic campaign promises. Both sides are increasingly impatient at the slow pace of economic recovery, and this national angst has led to an animosity that borders on truly disturbing.

Particularly frustrating is the tactic used by some that claims, unless you agree and vote with us, you are somehow less than patriotic and less than American. Particularly troubling is a series of radio ads from the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, the group started by Christian-right leader Ralph Reed (listen to the Nevada targeted one here). The opening line neatly sums up the tone of this entire election season: It’s us versus them. If you don’t agree with us, you’re wrong, undeserving of respect, and should be held in contempt. This meme is not exclusive to either side, of course, but it’s repugnant. It stifles debate, destroys creativity, and is ultimately harmful to our noble democratic project.

So today, help put a stop to this sort of politicking, and vote. Support candidates who value dialogue and conversation, who seek to promote human dignity and justice. Add your voice, however meek you may think it is, to the national dialogue. On election day, as counter intuitive as it may seem, we should dispel the notion that there is an us-them dichotomy, and instead unify around our right to vote, to choose our leaders, and to have a voice.