The other day, I was having coffee in a café in Menlo Park, California -- a small town in the heart of Silicon Valley -- and overheard a horrifying conversation.
It was late morning on Tuesday. Four mothers, appearing to be in their early forties, had gathered to catch up. The subject on their minds: the election. They were all Obama supporters. They were outraged by the way some women seemed to support Palin based on feeling they could relate to her rather than on her qualifications.
"If your house is on fire," one woman asked, "do you want a fireman you can relate to, or one who is qualified to put out the fire? If you need triple bypass surgery, do you want a surgeon you can have a beer with, or one with a successful track record of curing the problem?"
I thought this to be an astute critique about the way we vote. And at the risk of being unpopular, I think the critique extends to the way we vote for candidates on both sides of the political aisle
But then they continued.
"I'm leaving the country if McCain and Palin win," one commented.
"It's awful," responded another. "I can't stand this country anymore. That's why I don't stand for the national anthem anymore. And I don't say the pledge of allegiance, and I don't let my children do it either."
"Do they still make them do it in the schools? I thought they'd finally stopped that," said the third.
It was all I could do to keep my jaw from dropping.
Here were four women, who were all well-dressed, educated, and articulate. They all seemed to be well off enough to have a few hours to spend with friends on a weekday for the sake of catching up. They seemed, in other words, to be some of the people most benefiting from the access to opportunity that this country has provided.
It wasn't just how bratty they sounded that bothered me. What really bothered me was these women's blindness to just how bad things really are here.
Let's get real, folks. There are a lot of things that are severely broken about our country that neither John McCain nor Barack Obama are going to be able to fix -- or even have the bandwidth to address. What we've seen in the financial markets is just the tip of the iceberg -- and no one is really sure yet just how big that particular iceberg is. Then there's our education system, which is broken. And our healthcare system, which is broken. The list goes on.
Don't assume you can leave for a few years and expect that things will get better when your side is elected to power, because they probably won't. There are too many fires burning to have one individual fireman put them all out.
No matter who is elected in a few weeks time, the future of our country is still going to come down to us. Ordinary people working more diligently than ever to make a difference. Now, more than ever, we need everyone to participate in finding solutions. Now, more than ever, we can not afford to sit back and expect others to solve our problems for us.
This country, which I have been raised to respect and admire, has lost its compass. And we need each and every one of you out there to help us restore our sense of direction. If you care enough to complain about the election, then care enough to help find innovative solutions to the multiple crises we face -- from global warming to our banking system.
They're complicated issues. Issues which require multiple cracks in the wall from thousands of different stakeholders -- business, government, non-profit groups, and private citizens. Get involved through whatever means possible- through your work, through volunteering, through political advocacy, through staring your own enterprise or community group.
But please, put aside your disdain and anger for "those other voters" who don't think the way you do. By buying into the myth of two Americas, we are buying into the same culture wars that are tearing our country apart, and distracting us from the real problems at hand. We have a shared future that is bigger than infinitely more important than the emotional tricks played on us by pollsters and political strategists. We need you here to fight for that future.
Don't get me wrong. This election is more important than any I have seen in my lifetime. This election really, really matters. So work all you can to see the candidates you support make their way into power.
But then, come November 5, roll up your sleeves and keep going. Don't pack your bags and move to Canada if you're unhappy with the results. And don't think the problems are solved even if your candidates win.
Either way, it's just the beginning.
And we need you.
I want to live in a country where intelligence is admired.
McCain-Palin have contributed to the lowering of standards for clear thoughts and intelligent discussion of national issues in this country, following the trend begun by Rove-Bush 8 years ago.
Now lets be clear, Rove-Bush politics (and lack of policy) have destroyed much of what made America great in the 20th century. McCain-Palin obviously would do more of the same, given that they've hired the same despicable people, consult the same despicable "experts", and have been trying to peddle the same despicable crap to the American people.
Now if you want to appeal to our patriotism and issue some plea for us all to stick together, then it might be prudent to point out that one campaign has talked incessantly about what its going to take to come together, while the other campaign has dwelt on all things that can break us asunder.
The more thoughtful among us have every right to be angry about what Rove-Bush-McCain have done and are doing to this country by pandering to the ignorant and the scared and the disadvantaged.
So if you want us to stand firm together, why don't you lead by endorsing the only candidate that might make this possible: Obama 2008 for the future of America.
And like the rest of the people who have commented below (and I am honored that people would take the time to even respond to this post), I also understand the anger and the fear. I understand it deeply. I share it.
But we simply can not be shortsighted about this, and we can not escape our own responsibility-- each and everyone of us-- for our collective future. And it's a responsibility that lies beyond just this election, as absolutely critical as this election is.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/guide/index.asp
Need I say more?
I'm surprised that you were surprised. All that being said, I am far too patriotic to actually leave, but if McCain wins, I'm going to be forced to change from a progressive to an increasingly obnoxious ultra-left-wing radical. Something must change drastically in this country if in the face of all the evidence we can't even elect the most qualified candidate to be president this time.
Both left and right are preparing to take their ball or bat and go home.
To follow Paula Goldman's line of reasoning, the greatest thing that's broken is the will of the people to work within an imperfect union. Patriotism is a debased coin in modern politics, but commitment, not disengagement, in the face of disappointment is the sterling measure of patriotism.
Canada's apathy has been both its weakness and its strength. It has, as you say, prevented them from getting into stupid wars for oil; but also prevents from ever being a world leader.
Reality: if America goes down the drain, Canada will not be long following. Canada's population is too small to protect itself from any corruption in its "big sister". The housing/credit bubble went from the US into Canada in short order.
For you and yours, fleeing to Canada will be postponement at best. Canada likes to think it's immune from the ills of the US - this is not true. America today still leads Canada and the rest of the OECD world. Whether this stays true or not depends on the sane American majority, people such as you and your family.
All I'm trying to say is, if people like you have to fly from the US, then the battle is lost for all of us, because at present the US has been a leader for good and for bad. I hope you won't plan on leaving - but will vote, believe, get active. It is no understatement to say that the less powerful world looks to the US and people like you now.
There are indeed two Americas and there are irreconcilable differences. Why stay in a country that not only acts in ways contrary to your thinking but also spends your money against your will? Aren't you tired of the blue states funding the red states? Think about what would happen if the all the blue state folks just got up and left? There would be no money left to fund the nightmares of the red staters. Naturally there are people of all ideologies mixed in but you get my point. Your argument is naive. This is a battle not dissimilar to Vietnam or Iraq and perhaps there is no way to win - maybe we just need to withdraw?
So, we will not stay ... we have investigated other countries and have narrowed our choices down and are actively seeking employment there ... we have no intentions of ever coming back ... since I doubt if there will be much of a nation to come back to and if we keep goose-stepping further and further to the right this country will no longer be a place I recognize ...