Another Day More Hate Speech

I'm sure many Americans are astonished by the hate speech being thrown around at McPalin rallies around the country but honestly, I'm not. It's clear that people who are surprised by this kind of talk have never had invective thrown at them for being something other than a straight white male.

The only thing I am surprised at in this election is that no one in the crowds has used the N word for Obama yet. Maybe that's progress. Of course we still have 12 days to go and my expectations of my fellow Americans is at their lowest ebb ever.

What I find even worse, however, is the ugly return of McCarthyism to the forefront of political drivel. When Americans like Minnesotan Michelle Bachman start saying that liberals are anti-American, well, for me it's like a sign of the end of days. This divisiveness is disgusting and that McPalin are encouraging it (much like the Bush league has done the past 8 years) tells me everything I need to know about their ability to lead, govern and make policy.

For me in this election, it's come down not to who has the better plan for health care or the economy or who is going to drill where or what someone's wearing or where their from... but it's come down to - which of these men exemplifies the qualities of a President, the kind of President that I grew up thinking existed.. but in our Nixon, Reagan, Clinton (sorry, Bill), Bush parade of losers, I'd given that dream up.

Neither candidate is perfect and both have made mistakes and have their drawbacks, but when I put them side by side and look at which one is whipping crowds up into a frenzy of energetic viterol and which one is preaching peace and inclusiveness and speaks of fair mindedness and calm, well, I know which one I'll be voting for on November 4th.