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Editorial
Editorial Archives
Friday, October 22, 2004; Page 22
Americans Live in Two Worlds
If the United States of America was a pie chart, a line going directly across the middle would represent the current divide within the nation. The presidential debates have taught us that the county’s citizens and mainstream media have a frightening way of creating their own reality rather than recognizing what meets the eyes and ears. As polls show that the gap between George W. Bush and John Kerry’s favor with voters is tightening, one has to wonder if we are all living in the same America.
Half of American voters hear Bush’s policies on abortion and international policy tied to his faith and conclude that he is a hypocrite and the other half believe that he is correct when he says that he is true to his “core values.” Half of the country hears Kerry say that he will not pursue an action that he later believes to be wrong and concludes that he is a flip-flopper while the other half juxtaposes that with what they believe to be Bush’s stubborn, cowboy mentality.
At the end of the day, Election 2004 is not about Bush and Kerry; it’s about us realizing that “united we stand” has never truly reflected the American people. As one of my coworkers often says, “People are hiding their votes.” We often take our neighbors and colleagues as “liberal minded” individuals but at some point or another, we learn that we don’t share the same definition of liberalism.
This election is showing us that what some call inalienable rights, others perceive as demands from extremists. When the sound bites and nonsense are set aside, we’re left with two men who represent two Americas. Which one do you want to live in?
There is something clear cut in “I plan to raise the minimum wage to $7 an hour” that overshadows the jargon that floods talks of no child being left behind. Like his father, who couldn’t answer a question on how the national deficit affected him personally, President Bush does not appear to understand that poverty has not been cured in America. Those that cling to his opponent may do so in a desperate act to maintain a voice in a county that seeks to wipe them out of national dialogue. |
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