Ready for the Results Already

Okay. I'm done. I've had enough of this campaign. I can recall growing up as a kid and waiting for my birthday or for Christmas and just wishing like crazy that time would move forward to the point that I could get to the day I wanted. This year, more than anything else I'm waiting for November 5th to come around. Granted I have only experienced presidential elections a sum total of eight times in my lifetime but I think I can honestly say this has been one of the nastiest and most vile campaigns that has been run in a very long time. Our country is so divided right now that it seems that no one is free of torment or violence based on their political beliefs. Case in point? Ms. Ashley Todd.

Ashley Todd, a volunteer for the McCain-Palin campaign in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was apparently attacked last night while she stood withdrawing money from an ATM. Apparently her attacker came up behind her in the dark and held her at knifepoint demanding her money. She proceeded to hand over the $60 she had withdrawn and then when the mugger saw the McCain sticker on her car, proceeded to attack her. The assault ended with the attacker using the knife to carve a letter 'B' into her cheek as an apparent retaliation for her support of the Arizona Senator in his bid for the presidency. Now I know you'll call it quite ironic that a McCain supporter would be attacked and have a letter 'B' carved into her face and though both sides have been quick to condemn the attacks, I am sure that the furor on this issue is going to spring up. Maybe the McCain-Palin camp won't bring it up but someone certainly will. Might as well be me on this blog.

In case you're wondering what I mean, I mean that someone (I don't know who... but someone) is going to raise the point that McCain's opponent, Barack Obama, has a 'B' as the first letter in his first name (heck, you betcha... it even shows up in his last name) and the chances of that particular letter being carved into a McCain supporters face is too coincidental to be anything other than a purposeful attack. So someone (again... I don't know who.... Michele Bachman maybe?) will come back and say that this is evidence that Obama supporters are 'un-American', violent, angry and ill-suited to be a part of our nation. They will be portrayed as domestic terrorists who will go around attacking those who don't support their views and will stoop to any level to bring about victory for their ill-suited knight in dark-suited armor, Barack Obama.

Now both campaigns have been quick to condemn the attack and have stated that this is a tragedy and that neither camp supports this type of action. The Obama-Biden campaign jumped on the issue almost immediately and issued their condemnation of this act which was followed shortly thereafter by condemnation by McCain and Palin. Now whether these acts constitute complete repudiation by both parties is a matter for debate but alas, there will be no more Presidential or Vice Presidential debates so we are left with nothing but soundbites and press interviews (if granted). Now I can say with almost guaranteed certainty that Obama wouldn't support this type of action and I'm just as certain that McCain wouldn't like anyone carving a 'J' or an 'M' into an Obama supporters face.

But what these actions have shown me is that the state of our nation has reached a point where we are more divided than ever and the viewpoints of many is that 'if you don't agree with me wholeheartedly then you are the enemy'. I though we lived in a nation that encouraged freedom of expression and ideas. If I don't agree with someone we don't attack one another or question that person's values. Or do I? It's come to the point now where someone with a dissenting opinion on an issue is portrayed as an opponent to freedom or what 'real Americans' would want. That's not true. That's not what this country was founded on and if that's the case then why are we encouraging the Iraqis or Afghanis to be peaceful in the political process? If we're resorting to violence and dirty politics in our own elections, what's to stop them from pointing the finger at us and asking, "is that how democracy is supposed to work?" I wish it was November 5th. Only about two more weeks to go. I have a nasty feeling that this isn't the last such incident that will occur and it will only make the next president's job that much harder. Uniting a country isn't a small task. Ask the Iraqis.