election reds

Taking my car to the shop earlier today, I drove past a bright red SUV that was parked illegally, blocking traffic, and that had (of course) a McCain sticker in the back window. A couple of blocks later, I passed a house with a McCain sign in the front yard.

And I just have to say, again (and again, and again) - who the hell are these people?! What could possibly be going through their minds, that they would consider - even for a second- that McCain and his rabid partner would be a viable choice to lead our country?! It's just really weird and disturbing.

A few days ago my cousin Laurie forwarded around an email of an editorial blog written by one Michael Seitzman, (a writer/director who wrote North Country, among other things) - that expressed how I'm feeling particularly well:

"Now, I want to be clear and speak directly to those of you who LOVED that Palin interview. You're an idiot. I mean that. This is not one of those cases where we're going to agree to disagree. This isn't one of those situations where we debate it passionately and then walk away thinking that the other guy is wrong but argued well. I'm not going to think of you as a thoughtful but misguided person with different ideas who still really cares about the country and the world. No, sorry, not this time. This time, if you watched those interview excerpts and weren't scared out of your freakin' mind, then you're mentally ill, mentally disabled, or mentally disturbed. What you are NOT is responsible, informed, curious, thoughtful, mature, educated, empathetic, or remotely serious. I mean it.

But I like to think that anyone can change.

Stop voting for people you want to have a beer with. Stop voting for folksy. Stop voting for people who remind you of your neighbor. Stop voting for the ideologically intransigent, the staggeringly ignorant, and the blazingly incompetent. Vote for someone smarter than you. Vote for someone who inspires you. Vote for someone who has not only traveled the world but who has also shown a deep understanding and compassion for it. The stakes are real and they're terrifyingly high. This election matters. It matters. It really matters. Let me say that one more time. This. Really. Matters. "