There are days when I feel like I can talk to an unabashed conservative about our values and then feel that we really want the same things for the most part. Then, I have days like today. I walked a bell weather precinct in the Western Part of Lakewood Colorado. I did about 60 houses there. I got 3 good hits. I got a couple that were neutral and many not homes. I also got a few that really didn't want to talk and one that had a "Veterans for McCain" sticker on their truck. Then I had one where I was looking for a 20-something year old person and his mother answered the door. The son had moved out. But when I introduced myself, and said I was a volunteer for the Colorado Democrats, she first said "Go Away" and then started laughing. I'm kind of bewildered and I was kind of like "Ok" in a shy way. She then said that her son had moved out and has bad taste in parties. Then I decided to go on my way and she chanted "We Like McCain!!! We Like McCain!!!" a couple of times. She then apologized in a disingenuous way to me.
Okay, now having talked about my story I just have to ask, why? This is supposed to be at least a two-party country and yet, the other party (Republicans) are just so unacceptable.
First, it irritates me that I am constantly in a position where I must be civil to them while they get away with acting like they should be in Middle School.
Second, it irritates me that self-professed "moderates" and "independents" seem to think that things are okay enough to still consider voting Republican.
Third, I am irritated that there still is a significant chunk of people who are okay with having a party in power that has a man (McCain) who has gone from being an American Hero and someone who commanded respect as a Maverick to a complete and total sellout who will make a deal with the devil just to become President. Who, after criticizing his opponent as being inexperienced, he chooses someone who is even less experienced and who compares being a Mayor of a small town where she could threaten a Librarian who wouldn't ban books to being a Community Organizer in South Side Chicago.
Even now, after Barack Obama delivering a great speech at the DNC and opening it up to people and having one of the highest viewings of any Political convention in a long time and most agreed that it was a great speech, and McCain's obvious political stunt of picking an extremely unqualified person with Radically Right Wing Views as his running mate and with scandals appearing like mad. Not to mention, that with the question of McCain's health and age , her being VP is an extremely big deal because she could become President. And last, but not least the obvious political stunts of airing 9/11 footage on the last night of the convention to insight fear and exploit an American Tragedy once again in a way that just reading about it here makes my blood boil. It doesn't matter, because these low-class people (like the aforementioned lady) continue to support their low-class party.
The question is Maybe it's because I have already been feeling down and there have been people in instances outside politics that make me want to slug them. But I have never felt this pessimistic after walking a precinct. And I've walked some tough ones. So, yeah, I'm feeling pretty beaten down right now. So, congratulations Republicans. You've won. You haven't won by having better ideas. In fact thanks to you, the Marketplace of Ideas is near closing. You have won by being the biggest assholes around. Just like in Middle School. There is a question of being able to resonate with the public that either helps you win if you can do it or causes you to lose if you can't do it.
The thing is, Barack has a great message and is running a great campaign, but it's shit like this that makes me think that we get the President we deserve. The question is, what kind of President do we deserve? Even seemingly smart people fall for the stupid lies. I just don't know anymore.