By Mary Kay Scharf
During the presidential campaign of 2008, I thought the country could never be more politically divided. How wrong I was! The polarization of the current campaign is unmatched in recent history. Strangely, this status is less related to party allegiance or support of a candidate, but more a result of detest of the “other” candidate along with his or her platform, personality, or past.
Another observation related to the uniqueness of the current campaign is how closely people are keeping opinions to themselves. What I hear far more often than support for a candidate is the devastation people feel that the choice has essentially come down to these two individuals. I truly believe many people are embarrassed to say who they have chosen from the short list that remains.
Fortunately, I am not fully in this category of voters. While I feel strongly who should NOT be president, I am confident in my choice. Sadly, the feeling of fear for who should not be president overwhelmingly outweighs my affirmative support for this candidate.
As in years past, citizens across the country have impulsively stated they will leave our great nation should one or the other be elected. Clearly this is a ridiculous statement, but I have heard it more than ever in the past several months—even if it is jokingly made.
This forum provides no political solution for the current state of affairs, other than my sincere belief that to preserve the greatness of our country and the unity of our citizens, prayerful requests for divine intervention are desperately needed.
Mary Kay Scharf is the Director of Principal Leadership in the Bloomington Public Schools. A Clinton native, she was a teacher for 7 years and has been a principal and school administrator for the past 26 years. She is a volunteer for multiple community organizations, most passionately for the Not In Our Town initiative. The proud mother of 3 and grandmother of one, Mary Kay lives in Normal with her husband, Jamie.
The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media, Inc.
