Red or blue...or something in between

Well, it happened. I suspected it. I feared it. I wouldn't address it because I wanted to remain in denial. But then, my sister blurted it out in a conversation and my worst fears were realized.

My mother likes Sarah Palin.

My own dear, sweet, mother who is right under Jesus in the heavenly hierarchy. My own strong mother who planted tiny little mustard seeds of feminism within me. For the love of everything holy - WHY?!?

It's no secret to those that know me well that my political views are, well, quite liberal. (Brian was even called a socialist at work this week...imagine me giggling because that's what I'm doing.) But I try really hard to deal kindly and respectfully with those whose views oppose my own. I'm a big fan of dialogue. But I have a confession.

In private conversations with people who see politics like I do, I'm afraid I'm not very kind to the other viewpoint. (I never blast specific people, just the general masses.) And I'm probably even less kind in my own inner dialogue. (And wow, do I ramble on and on and on in my head sometimes!) I have a tremendously difficult time believing that a rational, thinking, intelligent human being could have anything but utter disdain for Sarah Palin. Really. And I don't like that part of me that so easily dismisses the good brains somebody was born with. So I've been grappling with this ever since my initial rage and indignation subsided just a tiny bit following McCain picking Palin as his running mate. I'm now really curious, and genuinely so, as to why someone would vote for McCain/Palin. And I've been looking for good reasons - not pat answers and not negatives about Obama or the Democrats.

And I've had a revelation this week. And it has cooled my jets, disarmed me, took much of the intensity out of my emotional reaction to the politics of this election season.

You see, I'm scared about the fate of this country. I'm scared of another administration like the Bush one. I'm frightened that we have become so self-obsessed and arrogant as a country that we will squander every bit of good-will we have remaining with foreign nations. I'm afraid that instead of dealing diplomatically with other governments, we will continue to engage in pre-emptive wars resulting in casualties and injury far surpassing simply those that are hurt in the direct line of battle fire. I'm afraid that as citizens, our rights will start to erode as the extreme religious right in this country pushes for a theocracy. I'm afraid that our environment will continue to suffer because, well, we're Americans and we shouldn't have to give up anything that we're used to, anything that makes our lives easy and comfortable. Our arrogance makes it okay for us to use the majority of the world's resources and energy while only accounting for between 5% to 8% of the world's population. I'm afraid for women's rights. I'm afraid about our escalating health care costs. I'm afraid about the economy. I could go on forever.

But, I'm realizing that my friends who see things from a McCain/Palin perspective are scared too. I don't know if I can accurately represent them, but I'll try to sum up what I've been gathering. They fear for our safety, that if we are soft on other nations or pull out of Iraq too quickly it will open us up to attack. They are afraid of not having the strongest military in the world because it would drastically alter the global scene. They are afraid that the government will try to take too much of their money or hurt small business. They are afraid about the economy. They are afraid about the escalating health care costs. They are afraid that morality in this country will erode, that the values they cherish will be considered antiquated and useless (especially regarding abortion and gay marriage). They are afraid that this nation could turn towards socialism. They are afraid that any quick moves, or drastic changes could damage or negatively alter the way of life that Americans hold so dear. They are afraid of things dissolving into chaos. I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but you get the idea.

Once I realized that both sides of the political landscape are afraid - I mean really, really frightened - it took away the "them and us" mentality I was carrying around. (And I'm referring here to friends and to average citizens like me - not corporate executives, politicians, journalists, etc...) And basically, other than on a few really pointed issues, we are scared of the same stuff. The solutions we believe in are not the same, but our desires for our families and for this country match up fairly closely.

When did we let ourselves get so consumed with "issues" - issues like abortion, homosexuality, gun-control, or stem-cell research, that we completely lost sight of the bigger picture? When did those become issues that we would stake EVERYTHING on? (Please do not hear me saying they aren't important because they are important issues...for instance, I would imagine if a loved one could be saved by furthering stem-cell research than it is probably the most important thing in your world. I'm only suggesting that during election time they can be used to distract Americans from working on "big picture" ideas for this nation. I would even suggest the government shouldn't be involved in all the "issues" that they are.) And when did we become so consumed with fear that we assumed complete annihilation of the United States of America and our way of life if the "other" party should be elected to office? When did we become such a nation divided, so focused on the negative that we stopped working together to build up the country?

I'll admit that I am still no fan of McCain/Palin, and frankly, the Bush administration is a scary one by a lot of standards. But I won't see the average citizens who support them as my "enemies" anymore. And on November 4, here's a wish for a prosperous journey, success, and good fortune - godspeed!

And for the Christians among us, who so closely try to link our voting with our commitment to following the way of Jesus, I offer this prayer:

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, pray that we as Christians would respect the integrity of our Christian brothers and sisters in their sincere efforts to apply Christian commitments to the important decisions of this election, knowing that people of faith and conscience will be voting both ways in this election year. (From an author at Sojourners)