This was my 12th presidential election and it took me until Thursday to accept, not the election results but rather, how we got to those results. Inside my discombobulated and foggy muse I know the system we have has worked--again. I know we have re-elected a sitting president--again. It is all "good", right? God Bless America, right? So whatever is my problem?
Look, I know we have this cliche that has been embedded in all of our psyches and that cliche is "hey, its politics". And what does that mean? Does it mean character assassination is permissible? Does it mean lying is allowed? Does it mean vilifying a person's family is justifiable? Apparently, it does and I for one am sick of it. I am sick to death of the upscale, well educated, articulate campaign reps and biased news pundits being no better than soap opera villains going about their business assailing those with whom they disagree with blistering attacks on their character and their families. And PLEASE--don't tell me "hey, its politics". That is Machiavellian crap. The truth is this behavior is disgusting and the example we set for the younger generations is deplorable. How many young people, even at the high-school level, have learned during this election season that Governor Mitt Romney is nothing but a lying, thieving, tax-evading, murdering felon who has no qualms whatsoever about 'pushing granny in a wheelchair' over a cliff. Why is this vilification done. TO WIN! Hey, I know, "its politics".
As a catholic I am also befuddled and disheartened by the Gallup poll taken after the election that showed 52% of Catholics voted for Barack Obama while only 45% voted for Mitt Romney. I am a senior citizen who was raised catholic and still is. Never in my entire life have I experienced the Bishops in the United States (The USCCB under Cardinal Timothy Dolan of NY) reaching out and asking their catholic "flock" to vote to save and protect our First Amendment rights. Never have they asked for our support to literally defend the faith we profess to follow. Those rights had never been threatened before. But now they are. And what happened? 52% to 45% of we 'catholics' turned our bishops down. Why? I have some answers inside myself to that question but they are too painful to deal with right now. Hey, I know, I had better get over it. After all, " its only politics."
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