Today was Memorial Day here in the United States, one of our most patriotic holidays of the year. It also falls a week and a day before our primary election day in Maine.
I’ve been reading a lot about the candidates up for election next week around the web, and as it does every election cycle, the rhetoric being used really concerns me. Politics is a competitive game, and it’s reasonable to assume that discussion and arguments between candidates will grow heated as the election nears.
But there’s a point at which it needs to stop. I’ve read a number of comments from Democrats accusing the Tea Partiers of trying to “destroy America.” I’ve heard Tea Partiers say the same of Obama. Just stop. Please.
Politics isn’t baseball1; we’re all trying to make the best country we can. Sure, we have differences in how we believe that should be done, but the end goal is the same. We all want what’s best for the people who live in America.
I don’t normally consider myself to be an overly patriotic person, but I do feel extremely lucky to live in such a great country. As you talk about politics, and as you discuss candidates up for election, remember what our veterans have fought to maintain. America is a place where we’re free to have discussion and disagreement, but we’re also all working to build the best country we can. America is an experiment, but it’s undoubtedly a great one.
1. I don’t enjoy most professional sports for this same reason. When I watch the Red Sox and the Yankees play, I don’t see two teams and fan bases who hate each other; I see a couple dozen people who have spent their lives becoming the best at what they do. Honestly, I’d much rather watch a lower-key college game. I think they’re a lot more fun.