Presidential Election 2012

How The Presidential Election Brings Out The Best (And Worst) In Us

The 2008 Presidential Election was something to see, wasn't it? The passion it ignited in the people, the love and hate felt all across the nation, the debates that sprung up between the young and old, the Left and Right, everyone from every part of the country. The voter turnout was higher then it had been in recent memory, and everywhere you turned people were discussing who would reach the final nominations, and then who would become President, Senator John McCain, or Senator Barack Obama.

Of course, we all know what happened next. After a short lead by McCain on November 4, 2008, the Obama vote took momentum, flinging him past the minimum needed votes, and declaring him President of the United States by a landside. The win made him the first President of mixed race, as well as the first African American to lead the White House. It was a historical moment that the history books will admire for years to come.

But the road leading there was a rocky one, with tempers and emotions running high on all sides, and widespread support from both sides causing the election to practically scream it's way to the voting booths. Even International voices could be heard voicing their opinions, and Barack Obama in particular seemed to stir a great tidal wave of support. The many people heard were both positive and negative, which brings me to my point: what about the Presidential Election brings out so much in us?

Every four years it seems that more people react in crazier ways, more people lose control. Is it the candidates themselves, or are we as a society becoming every more split on the important issues, moving further to either the Left or the Right? Certainly, it seems that we have lost that area that used to reside in every party, reserved for those who would describe themselves as Moderates. Even the Independents seem to have disappeared, leaving dust in their wake.

I wish I could say that this disturbing new trend in American politics can be placed purely on the shoulders of the Presidential Election, something that will only occur at the end of those four years. But it has become a part of every day life, and most definitely the social norm within the lives of politicians. Each side seems to be taking a harder line, even if they don't follow by the tenets that they lay out for the common people.

It has to make you wonder about what will happen in the future. Will the extremes once again begin to fade, becoming as much a part of the past as each political event does once it is no longer reported as 'news'? Or will the next Presidential Election bring on even more fervor, sweeping the nation like the last? One thing is for certain; I will be waiting with bated breath to see, and in the meantime I know that American politics will continue to hold in me the greatest of fascinations, both within itself, and as the greatest example of the strengths and weaknesses of the human psyche.