A civil war

In listening to the news lately, it seems that both sides are really starting to attack each other without much concern for a public backlash.

Liberal democrats have finally started to hear Kerry making stronger statements against Bush, most notably saying that W. is for "wrong" on our approach to the war, domestic policies, etc. Cheney has suggested that a vote for Kerry would directly result in another terrorist attack.

As I sit here I know that I am working for a group that hopes to persuade swing voters to vote liberally this year. Yet I am wondering how many people are really undecided still out there, and more importantly, how many of those voters will actually vote.

It seems to me that there hasn't been a time when this nation has been more divided. And it seems like that division is only growing.

There are similarities between this election and the Civil War.

First it is interesting to note which states are currently red and which are blue, and then note which states were Northern and which were Southern during the civil war. The similarities are quite striking. Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia are "battleground" states.

Next, let's look at the leaders of both sides... you can draw analogies between Robert E. Lee and George W. Bush. First both used their middle initial. Hmmm.

Robert E. Lee was fighting the civil war for state's rights. His strong belief was that his home state of Virginia should be independent of the federal government or not be restricted by the federal government. It is my understanding that his fight was over state's rights, and not necessarily for slavery. Either way, it sound very similar to the small-government views of the Republicans (Although Bush has done many things to contradict those values).

John Kerry is a rather tall man, and has a long history of debating well... as did Lincoln.

Think about who fought the war... the North (Dems in this analogy) were industrial workers, minorities, immigrants, and the poor. The South (Republicans in this analogy) were aristocrats and land owners.

Perhaps the most striking similarity is the long, hard line that has been drawn between the two sides of the country. The modern-day Mason Dixie line does not cross between one set of states dividing North and South. Instead the line is drawn in every neighborhood, between lawn signs and bumper stickers.

This whole race has certainly left us with a stronger sense of the things that make us different... a far cry from the unity that we felt after 9/11 and the sense that we were all somehow in the same boat.

Perhaps worst of all... worse than the election, worse than the advertising, and name-calling... is the fact that when November 3rd hits, we are one country again. and the Reconstruction for a President-elect will begin. How will they reunite us? How will they mend the fences between yards and bring back waves between passing cars? How will America see itself when the dust settles and the finger-pointing isn't necessary?

I'd say that job is the toughest job, and it belongs to the winner. That's a pretty tough victory prize.

(In thinking about this analogy, please realize that I didn't put much time into research or the development of this idea fully. The Civil War and this election are probably not close enough to really compare with any kind of scholarly merit, and I also don't imply that slavery is analogous to either side's position. It was all something that came to my mind and I thought was worth at least jotting down.)