What is Happening to my Country?

Today we are going to talk about the state of discourse or lack thereof in America right now. It might just be me but it seems in the last 8 years people have suddenly started to view political affiliation as being equal to rooting for a sports team. The nation has divided itself into Team Republican! and Team Democrat! and its so hip right now to for both sides to view their countrymen with different political affiliations as either A- Hick, prejudiced, ignorant morons or B- Liberal, God hating elitists douchebags. Mainstream media has reflected and (in my mind) encouraged this divide by creating entire channels catering to a side rather than reporting objective truths. You have Fox News vs. MSNBC you have Malkin vs Ted Rall, Politico vs Daily Kos in almost every medium of information we have decided to retreat to our respective corners and only talk amongst people who see the world the way we do. It's common and acceptable to demonize your neighbors or anyone who doesn't see things exactly the way you do, fuck debating or having civil conversations you have to ATTACK the other "team" and debate has become a competition to see who can WIN the argument. Only in this day and age nobody wins, people just get frustrated call the other side whichever generic insult is in vogue at the moment and go back to their tribe.

Who does this serve? Certainly not the nation all of these people reside in. Nothing is getting accomplished, our politicians are more polarized than ever, nothing gets done in Congress because its suddenly not right to work with the other side. I love Obama and will vote for him in November but the guy has no substantial record of working with the Republicans and that is not anything to be proud of. I don't want a politician that half the country hates and who views them as bitter and clinging to guns and religion. I want a leader who shows respect to the other side without pandering or compromising his own values. If Obama continues to vote along the lines of party hacks like Kerry and Pelosi then the enormous potential for his presidency will be wasted. I find it very interesting that simply because John McCain is running against Obama that suddenly McCain is a terrible person who the left think is old and crazy. He wasn't thought this way before the election when he was viewed as about a good as a Republican as you could hope for. Just because the man is running against your preferred candidate that leaves nobody the right to turn him into some evil caricature or paint him as a doddering old man. John McCain served this nation both as a solider and as a civil servant for years and should be above these kinds of smears. I cringe when I read people hiding behind the anonymity just blasting the guy without base. He does have some political baggage but EVERY politician who has been in the arena of public service this long will. Obama has avoided most of this because his career is so young but even he has some questionable relationships.

I guess this is just about being frustrated with my own "team's" behavior during this election season. This is no longer a country have discourse about how to improve our nation for all of us its Us vs Them and that is really too bad.