I will take the reflection of spirituality through the eyes of a Christian. However, many religions inhabit the United States, and I don't see vast dissimilarities between the Supreme Beings of a particular sect, or for those just into the Spirituality of Living. Actually, 92% of Americans believe in a Higher Power, and they are no better nor worse than your average agnostic.
Obama, McCain (though Obama led off) - offer speeches of a United America (overcoming partisan politics). However, in activating the Republican base, McCain has vented half that unification message away. While the majority does believe in a Higher Power, Evangelicals believe in a God of their own choosing. They also believe - that somehow, others are less than they when it comes to equal rights (hence the harsh stands on right to life, Creationism, etc.)
By offering a unification message, Obama is actually speaking to the commonality of Human Kind. This is the basis for most of the Democrat Doctrine. And, when it comes to politics, have the Social Conservatives (as they like to call themselves - harking to the rally once Palin hit the scene) forgot some basic principles of the Bible?
Bigotry is a SIN. Messages from the Bible (and most other religions), include phrases such as Love Thy Neighbor, and - God creates every human in his image. But the flip side - God is not black, white, man, woman, or human. So what is this image? It is the Spiritual Image that we speak of, the essence that connects us to Our Higher Power.
As we approach the elections, however, some media have covered the aspect of our First African American to be elected. Reports abound as to folks that just can't bring themselves to that vote. They have disguised these pretexts with He won't wear the American flag, He's really a Muslim, etc. etc. Even some Democrats seem to have problems with this. Many excuses are used - most often is being upset that Hillary Clinton lost the race. (When it comes to the issues, this shouldn't even be a factor).
And the Democrats are not opposed to a little mud slinging themselves. While it may be true that McCain chose a woman to be his Running Mate for political purposes, declaring that if Obama had chosen Hillary for his VP, would that have changed McCain's stance? So we have bipartisan political bickering, swirled in with "Can I vote for a Woman", "Can I vote for a 72 yo", and "Can I vote for a Black Man?"
Bigotry on the basis of Race, Age, Gender (and I might add Disability) - dehumanizes the person whom one is considering in the election. But the Media has recently fanned tons of attention to Sarah Palin, whom doesn't really want to interact with them (Hmmm, methinks this is a strategic decision), as opposed to when they fanned Obama with attention. They are hoping to pick up those disgruntled Democrats, independents (even though Palin's views differ from 60% or more of the women in the United States). But many just can't seem to get over the African American issue. While many African Americans hold office at various levels - why is this entering Presidential Politics? Are we in such dire need of a slightly aged, good looking Man, with an Armani Suit, to Head our Country? Regardless of what direction he will lead us in? And how well has that worked for the last 8 years?
Besides the Golden Rule of calling on everyone's common Humanity, we should hold each and every one of these Candidates to Individual Responsibility - Barrack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin. Remarks from guys that she's gorgeous (Palin) via the Media does not help the case. People who have been Hurt, will want to Hurt other people, Basic Psychology 101. I'm glad some folks have grown where the past is the past (Obama's experimentation with Drugs, Palin's hubby and Dui, etc). I mean, our culture has truly grown, and by now, whom hasn't lived through the 60's, and 70's, learned, and passed along lessons learned from this culture to our children?
Yet in this country of stress and strife, where previous elections were run on the basis of fear, and whether you truly loved the country if you opposed the war, we still have emotions running our choices. Take me for example. I want Bush out of office. That person has made so many mistakes, only by stepping up to the plate during our last two hurricanes can he even remotely gain an iota of my respect. And his politics are so anti-Christian, there's not enough room in this article to defend that position. But I knew where my heart lay with the issues. If Clinton had received the parties nomination, I would have voted for her. Since Obama won the nomination, I will vote for him. I personally think Hillary would have made a great VP, but I don't think she wanted the spot. I WANTED Hillary to be the VP very badly. Biden? Oh well. But I don't throw the baby out with the proverbial bath water.
Our emotionalism, evangelical thinking (harkening back to the Puritan era?), is leading folks to vote within their comfort level, and what feels emotionally fit. We then develop a label for our favorite, and those we oppose. This is the dehumanizing affect of bigotry. The blogs spread myths regarding a person's identity, who they are (or whom the author THINKS they are), and separates these people, our candidates running for office, from the Main Stream Human Factor. This is where they become larger than life, and more often than not, aren't recognized as the public servants they were meant to be.
Conclusion: voting for someone because of emotional fit, race, religion, age or gender, dehumanizes that individual, and leads the voter down a path that is not rational. They only hear what they want to hear, and stop at examining the facts at hand. My applause goes out to the AARP commercials for DividedWeFail.org, since they are pressing folks to focus on what is important to them, and make sure the candidates meet the criteria of their issues with more than talk.
We need to focus on the difference between the Identity (black, woman, old, etc.) and the Integrity (experience, value set, and standing on the issues) of the individual. Of all these, the ISSUES are the most important. You may want to vote African American for culture sake, or Vote McCain/Palin for Hillary's sake, but what is that going to do for you over the next 4 years? Remember, a Democracy should drive the Church (freedom of religion), not the Church drives the Democracy (We tell You what to believe in).
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