If you listen to the pundits – or possibly even your neighbors, friends or family – today’s election marks a stark choice between either the future safety of the free world – or the absolute destruction of our economy, security and life as we know it.
While narrow definitions of opposing candidates are hardly new, this year’s anticipated record turnout of voters is a reflection of the stark and easily-delineated differences between – and spin about – John McCain and Barack Obama.
If you consider the more objective professional, personal and life differences inherent in being pro-surge vs. anti-surge; African-American vs. Caucasian; older vs. younger; experienced vs. academic; passionate vs. even-tempered; or war veteran/ prisoner of war vs. no military experience, we’re still rational in our evaluation of candidates and their unique qualifications at this time in our nation’s history.
However, one reason for the record-breaking voter turnout expected today is that this election has not been cast in those terms. Instead, consider the sound bites that pass as evaluation criteria: grumpy old man vs. effete intellectual; Muslim terrorist vs. Christian wife-cheater; war hero vs. community organizer; patriot vs. a “flag-hater;” hopeless naiveté vs. cynical realism – and that’s even before we get into the caricatures of the vice presidential candidates.
Lost in all this hyperbole and spin is the fact that an anticipated 40% – 49% of your fellow voters will wake up tomorrow having supported “the loser.” Many supporters of either candidate will either crow or cry – still speaking in the bitter, negative and unproductive soundbites of the campaign.
And that would be a tragedy: regardless of who wins, November 5, 2008 represents a new chapter in the future of the United States (and the free world, for that matter.) We are fortunate that regardless who wins this election, we have had the opportunity to select between two very fine, very smart, very decent, very dedicated, very competent – and extraordinarily different – candidates. And that should never get lost in the “spin…”
