Where are the yard
signs?
Someone brought this up the other day.
I admit I’m puzzled.
With the election less than a month away – and with
partisan fervor at a fever pitch – you would expect a plethora of yard signs
for Obama or for Romney.
Normally, by this time, every median strip would be a sea of
yard signs. People would have signs in
their front yards. There’d be bumper
stickers all over the place.
But I’m not seeing many for the election for President. At least not in my travels through suburban
Philadelphia and New Jersey. Nor have I
seen that many Obama or Romney bumper stickers.
A friend in Florida told me the other day that there are
yard signs everywhere there. I also saw
a lot of signs in northern New Hampshire when I was there in August. Yet in Pennsylvania, in my neighborhood, I’ve
seen just one for Romney/Ryan and a few are now popping up for a guy running as
a Republican for the U.S. Senate.
Maybe it’s different where you live; here it’s like some eerie Twilight Zone
episode.
What gives?
Has the divisiveness been ratcheted up so high that people
fear letting their neighbors know how they really feel? Are they afraid of retribution from one side
or another? Or the loss of friendships
because they come out for Obama or Romney?
Quite honestly, I can’t remember a time in recent years when
peoples’ feelings about an election were running so hot, or the sides so
polarized.
We’re not talking about people simply being in favor of
Republicans or Democrats. We’re talking
about an almost visceral hatred by many of Obama or Romney. The
ranting about how the Republicans or Democrats are Hell-bent on destroying the
country is nonstop.
The hard left of the Democrats has Republicans pushing
granny over the cliff, stealing food from the poor, waging war on women,
unions, gays and the middle class, and selling out the country to rich fat
cats. The hard right of the Republicans has
the Democrats attacking the Constitution, waging war on religion, business, the
economy and American values, and selling out America’s defense and prestige to
make some foreign leaders happy.
Both sides generally blame the other for the ballooning
deficit – Republicans blame Obama’s failed economic policies and profligate
spending; Democrats still pretty much blame George W. Bush for the deficit,
through his wars and tax cuts.
To extreme Democrats, Republicans are heartless monsters who
only care about themselves and their rich friends. To extreme Republicans, Democrats care too
deeply about what everybody else in the world thinks of us, but don’t give a
damn about this country and its values.
With so much vitriol being spewed in blogs, and posts on
Twitter, Facebook and other social media, why oh why aren't there more yard
signs and bumper stickers?
Maybe it’s just political correctness run amuck. Or it could be fear.
In a Philadelphia-area high school – actually, based on its racial
make-up, a model school for diversity – a student who wore a Romney/Ryan
t-shirt on a dress-down day was told to take it off or cover it up by a
teacher. A teaching assistant told the
girl it was like wearing a shirt with KKK on it. When the girl’s family protested, they received
threats. When they went to school for a
meeting, they were met with hostility and jeers from students and others.
Isn’t this out of control?
I mean … a t-shirt caused all this?
I suspect that people really are afraid to show their
political preferences this time around, especially if they support Romney/Ryan
in a traditionally Democrat-dominated state like Pennsylvania.
But that doesn't explain the lack of Obama signs and bumper
stickers here – you’d expect, by now, to see them plastered everywhere.
So what does that mean?
Maybe, just maybe, people aren't as gung-ho for Obama here
as everyone thinks. Maybe they are telling their friends – and pollsters
– that yeah, sure, they’re voting for Obama, yet when the election rolls around
they either don’t vote, or pull the lever for someone else.
We know enthusiasm for Obama has waned; people still like
him but a lot of the supporters who swept him in in 2008 aren't as fired up about
voting this time as the Republicans are.
We won’t know until the polls close. You shouldn't be surprised at any result.
No comments:
Post a Comment