A Nation Divided

America is in decline. We are broaching upon the eventual demise of a once great idea. I would say country but America hasn't existed as a country for a while now. We are indeed a conglomerate of red and blue states. Our identity as a nation has been fractured beyond repair. How else can we be witness to a sitting president with 80% or so disapproval rating, yet a growing sense that the electorate is enamored by the entry of a naive, tough talking, small minded devious politician who cites slogans for policy statements?

A single look at an electoral map of these United States will reveal entrenched leanings that defy any attempt at unity. We are awash in a country of extremes. I lean toward the left and must admit that I have little tolerance for anyone who would impose their moral and religious beliefs upon me. Yet, all I heard at the Republican convention and the Palin rallies is the chant “USA” “USA.” And behind that chant is the belief that all of the actions of the past eight years are what this country is all about.

And as we grow close to election day, it would appear Americans are buying into the McCain and Palin ticket. Palin is the embodiment of the Ronald Reagan myth. She might well be channeling him. Reagan stands as an icon in American History to many people who never look critically at the past. Yet if we examine his record and the man, we see little but the facade of an independent, wild west kind of leader. It was as if he rode off the silver screen and into the hearts of the people. Palin storms out of Alaska with a whole new history contrived by spin masters designed to shape her as an independent reformer. She has the depth of a pit bull with lipstick, a phrase they coined for her persona. And the people take it in. It is no wonder she is fodder for pop magazine. Heck Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears are always plastered on the cover of the mass media.

Where does this leave us? Red Americans like to bad mouth intellectuals. They like to denigrate highly educated folks. Remember George W. was a “C” student. One wonders how he managed that average. McCain talks with pride at being at the bottom of his class. Palin likes to talk up the value of her small town mentality. George W's administration will go down in history as the most corrupt, most incompetent administration in this nation's history. Yet more awaits. It is not enough to be glib. That didn't save anyone who died in New Orleans. It is not enough to be tough. The lives of young soldiers are much too sacred to sacrifice. It isn't enough to lie to get the job. Because in the end, all the bluster and lies serve only to install but another bumbler who thinks that a Christian God is on his side. I had often thought that a common man would be the best president. But the job is much too complex and the world is a stew of dangerous complexities. It is interesting that the red Americans have long for the iconic Ronald Reagan to reappear on the scene. And give the Republicans operators credit for they found a young brazen shallow woman who speaks with the ease that only confidence in one's own ignorance can provide.