Carter Wrenn posted on August 21, 2012 15:43
The other day Gary wrote “Why They Lie” about the election in 1984 when Jim Hunt and Jesse Helms were duking it out and how elbow throwing was acceptable in that campaign but outright lying was taboo – that was one line both Helms and Hunt feared to cross. Because they’d pay a price.
That line was still there twenty-four years later when Liddy Dole called Kay Hagan an ‘atheist’ – and paid a price.
But the line has vanished this year, as if the whole country’s chosen sides and made up its mind it’s fine to say anything to win.
On one side we’ve got Mitt Romney supporters saying Barack Obama was never an American citizen and the other side we’ve got Barack Obama supporters saying Mitt Romney is to blame for a woman dying of cancer and it all has Gary shaking his head, wondering, “Does it go on and on like this? Or is there a breaking point?”
Well, we’ve landed in a very old political swamp.
I’ve been reading William Shirer’s The Nightmare Years, 1930-1940.
On September 1st, 1939 in Berlin the German politicians announced Poland had attacked Germany in twelve places – then added, ‘Polish bombs are falling on German soil.’ Before the Germans the Greeks, Romans, French and Russians all had Caesars, Napoleons and Commissars who had no qualms about crossing lines and, in the end, the swamp consumed them all.
So, yes, there is a breaking point.
The question is do we want to reach it?