The following is the smartest thing I've read in awhile about the election. The writer will be named after the jump. Take a guess--no peeking! I bet some of you will be surprised.
What we Americans go through to pick a president is not only crazy and unnecessary but genuinely abusive. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in a craven, cynical effort to stir up hatred and anger on both sides. A decision that in reality takes one or two days of careful research to make is somehow stretched out into a process that involves two years of relentless, suffocating mind-warfare, an onslaught of toxic media messaging directed at liberals, conservatives and everyone in between that by Election Day makes every dinner conversation dangerous and literally divides families.
Not to mention that most voters won't stray from their parties, so why do they pretend to think it over? Why talk about it? They really aren't examining the candidates, not with an open mind, anyway. I know extremely FEW people with an open mind on politics, including me. It takes awhile to scale the wall of prejudice each of us build around ourselves. Most of us never throw the first grappling hook. And so, that's why I've long thought of politics and election not as healthy, or even democracy, but as civil war.
And we're supposed to be the greatest nation on earth? Snort. Some things we do okay. Politics--not one of them.
Matt Taibbi Rolling Stone
1 comment:
It's flat-out insanity, and no one is held to facts. According to a CNN article I read, one high-ranking GOP marketing guy even admitted NOT CARING if politically mudslinging media was correct...all he cared about was "if it worked." IMHO, it's become a lesser of evils situation. Some may think voting an honor, but clearly the politicans don't use much honor in their efforts.
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