Am I suffering from election anxiety? Hell yes! But it's worse than that. As much as I hope Obama wins, worry about the election being stolen and agonize over the latest poll results on a half dozen sites several times a day, it's the sadness that gets me even more. Every time I hear someone say, "His name is just like Osama," or "You can't vote for someone named Hussein. He's an 'A-rab'," "If he gets elected he's going to bring in terrorists" or "Marxist, communist," I feel profoundly sad. Every time I hear someone say, "He's going to raise taxes" or "Joe the Plumber," I feel like screaming.
So I go to the local growers market Saturday and spend an hour talking with the people at the McCain table. I'm wearing my "Obama, Vote Nov. 4th" T-shirt, and they pretty much pounce on me when I walk up to the table. At first they try get me to put a McCain/Palin bumper sticker over Obama's name, but I politely refuse. Instead, I ask them why they are supporting McCain.
One woman, the most aggressive of the five or six people there, starts yelling at me about Ayers and terrorists and how Obama isn't telling the truth, and Wright and a whole litany of Republican talking points. She even has them all hand-written on a little sign. I tell her that the Ayers' thing is bunk, and after a while (with some insults thrown my way) she seems to realize it isn't a winning argument when it turns out that I'm actually informed about the facts. So she turns to Reverend Wright. I start to point out that what was on YouTube was only one clip out of the 20 years Obama was supposed to have attended that church, asking her if there was any proof that Obama had sat through such sermons, and if there might be reasonable doubt that he hadn't.
At that point she starts to lose it and threatens to call a cop over. She points to a nearby sheriff - someone I know from my days on the city council, so I wasn't worried - and then she sort of goes into a meltdown. Just then a young man standing behind the McCain/Palin table says, "I'll talk with you." He's just as certain about the talking points, but reasonable and willing to engage. We talk about lots of things, including the various economic views of the candidates. He studied Adam Smith, Marx and other economic writers in college and so he's aware of some basic facts. I prove to him that I'm aware of economic theories, too, and provide some analysis about the disparities in our system from pure capitalism and its assertions of market mobility and other factors, but he still believes that helping the corporations and the rich get richer would ultimately trickle down to the rest of us. "You have to give it ten years," he tells me. I say, "The people of this country don't have ten years to wait to find out that it doesn't actually work. And besides," I add, "Bush has had eight years and look where we are now."
The nice young man back-peddles faster than a unicyclist on speed, saying, "Bush. No Bush did it all wrong. He borrowed and spent. Very bad." So we agree on something.
At the end of an hour, my wife pulls me away, as she usually does when I talk with Republicans or John Birchers, or whoever. But by the time I leave, even the aggressive woman is listening, and a small crowd, too.
Okay, we never really agreed on the fundamental issues. But I was no longer the "stupid, liberal asshole" they had called me at the beginning. Now I was someone at least as smart as they were, but with a different view.
It wasn't the perfect exchange, but for me it was a learning experience, and an opportunity to find humanity among people with different views. I hope for them it was something better than yelling and labeling.
This is why I started the "New National Dialog Project" on Facebook. Because I just feel so terribly sad that people choose to hate each other just because we disagree, and that some of us must fall so low as to call each other names, make up lies and sow the seeds of fear and violence instead of understanding and unity.
WE CAN DO BETTER.
With leadership and dedication, we can end these culture wars and learn to speak to each other again. I believe this to be true, if we work together, learn to listen and have the courage to share.
Am I still anxious about the election? Hell yes! But I'm even more anxious about the future of our nation and our world.
