Let’s ask Sarah Palin. This week after visiting the northwestern state of New Hampshire (that’s right, northwestern; apparently all of the lower states are just part of the northwest to this brilliant “leader”), Ms. Palin campaigned in North Carolina, praising them for their “pro-Americanism.” Apparently, the maverick from Alaska has encountered anti-American parts of the country as well. I’m going to guess she’s referring to those socialist blue states that are voting to put a terrorist in office. Here is what she said:

 

“We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America,” Ms. Palin said, according to a pool report. “Being here with all of you hard-working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans.” Read More.

 

Hmm. It must be those small town values.

 

So the small towns are real. They are hard-working, patriotic, and full of kindness, goodness, and courage. But what makes an American living in a small town in North Carolina any different than an American living in New York City? What makes one more patriotic than another? Or kinder? I wouldn’t expect these answers from a campaign full of little more than fear tactics and generalizations. And while many may buy into the “good-vs-evil” scenario that the McCain/Palin ticket have been desperately trying to paint, I think that it is important to recognize the devastating effect that this ticket has had on our country.

 

By questioning the Americanism of both Barack Obama and his supporters, the GOP is effectively creating a dangerous divide. And though they themselves are unable to describe in any real detail what being an American really means (though I’d guess Joe “sixpack,” whoever that is, or Joe “the plumber,” who’s not actually a plumber, may be on the top of their list), it has become the central focus of their campaign. In fact, just last week, McCain received bi-partisan criticism for the “robo-calls” to voters, which continue to call Obama a terrorist and focus on the so-called Bill Ayers association, an issue that McCain claims he doesn’t care about. Well, when you have no sound policy and you are spiraling downward in the polls, I guess your “Americanism” is all you’ve really got left. If you could only define it in concrete terms.

 

But regardless, the McCain/Palin disaster continues to be the judge for who is and is not American. And as they do so, it is important that we remember one thing: this is just an election. Yes, it’s an important election. But the divide that is being created by McCain is not for the good of the country or for the future of our children. It is for his political gain. And after the election is over, we will all face the reality of our economy, our domestic issues, and our wars - under the leadership of a new president. And though divisiveness, racism, and hatred may fuel the GOP during the campaign, it is after the election that the real work begins. And the America that I know – the one founded on pride in country yet tolerance of difference and celebration of diversity; the one that is melting pot of race, religion, and culture; the one that claims to be the model for the rest of the world – in that America, there is no place for such divisiveness.

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