Patriotism

I've been thinking a lot about the election lately and the current state of our country. This November many people will be voting for a D or an R, not necessarily for the man behind (or in front of, depending on how you look at it) the party. In fact, this happened in 2004, and 2000, and essentially most elections in the history of our country. That's not what I'm here to discuss though. My problem is this: when, in other elections, has such a fuss been made about the patriotism of a particular candidate?

The Republican party is hell-bent on painting Obama as unpatriotic and therefore unfit to serve as president. I'm not going to get into the flag pin wearing particulars of this debate, as my issue lies with the greater argument itself. No man (or woman) runs for the position of president when they do not truly love their country and want to make it a better place for its people. Obama was a community builder in Chicago's South Side -- does trying to help a poverty-stricken and notoriously violent neighborhood make you unpatriotic? Yes, Reverend Wright said some inflammatory things, but when have you held someone responsible for something someone else said? Before you call me naive, I understand that this is the presidential election, and that politics are dirty. But to go so far as to say that the person millions of people chose to represent their political party and hopefully lead the US and the free world is unpatriotic is unabashed mud-slinging.

You don't choose to put yourself into the public eye and constant scrutiny of your citizens and the world if you don't wholeheartedly love your country and are ready to sacrifice your life (quite literally) to protect, advance, and help it. This isn't about Obama v McCain. This is about common sense. Both men love their country, and both have ideas, while vastly different, about what will make it better. Why not focus on the issues at hand instead of engaging in smear tactics to distract from the numerous problems facing us today? Let's spend some time talking about dependency on oil, the climate crisis, the situation in Iraq, abortion, gay marriage/adoption, and countless other issues instead of harping on fist bumps, flag pins, and baby mommas. That way when November rolls around we'll have people at the polls who look beyond the Ds and Rs and who vote with the certainty that their values and ideals are being upheld. I don't care who you vote for, as long as you've taken the time to educate yourself on the candidates so that you may exercise your responsibility to vote in an informed, thoughtful manner.