One moment, I need to take my blood pressure medicine.
Now that’s done, I need to make a plea: I beg you, please stop talking about electoral politics. My heart can’t take it. With all the lying, cheating, cynical ploys and conspiracy theories out there, I’m so worked up, I could have a heart attack at any minute. Don’t get me wrong; I take being informed very seriously. However, there’s a point when I’m physically sick due to the unique stresses of being a voter caught in the last round of a presidential election cycle.
I think the cause of my illness is the cynicism surrounding the campaigns themselves. It’s almost as though everyone wants the crass, divisive politics that have defined American elections as long as I can remember, and nobody really cares about bridging the gap between either side. There’s no compromise to be had anymore, as the two major directions have become so extreme that neither can even imagine the middle ground.
When campaigns and pundits aren’t trying to divide us, they’re questioning our intelligence. For example, I haven’t heard a whole lot from either vice presidential nominee that hasn’t been riddled with errors, non-sequiturs or in the most extreme cases, imitations of 2007’s Miss South Carolina. Between Gov. Sarah Palin’s incoherent interview with Katie Couric and Sen. Joe Biden’s remarks in which he threatened his own running mate with gun violence – not to mention both candidates’ troubles with history – I’m just not sure either of these clowns should be anywhere near the Oval Office.
Pundits on the left are chomping at the bit for Sen. Barack Obama to either hit below the belt in a campaign ad or to let friendly political action committees do so for him. Right-wing talking heads don’t see a problem with the fact that Sen. John McCain has not only lied numerous times throughout the campaign, but don’t quite realize he’s pretty much held every possible opinion on every major issue within the last year. Neither side seems to even pay attention to the other, save to bash the opposing candidate.
What’s more, there are people on each side that are so deluded with their particular candidate that they don’t even know what any of the candidates stand for. Talking to these people is an exercise in futility, as there’s just no rational discourse to be had.
I just can’t wait for November, so that this whole circus may end, one way or another.
McCormick, a computer science post-baccalaureate student, can be reached via [email protected]
