This presidential election has been one of the most venomous in history.
The amount of mud slung during the primaries in both the Democratic and Republican races for the presidential nomination, as well as the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, cannot be understated.
Even now, the venom continues to spew across the county. A Republican election office in North Carolina was firebombed recently, with the words “Republican Nazis get out” painted nearby the gutted office space. Some Republicans have claimed there will be an armed revolt should Clinton get elected. The Trump campaign itself has started calling the election process into question, claiming the upcoming election will be rigged in Clinton’s favor and people should question the outcome, when it happens.
Others have been impacted as well. The Arizona Republic, a conservative newspaper that for the first time in its 125-year history endorsed a Democrat for president, has received an intense amount of hate directed to its staff. People have called the newspaper and issued death threats against employees, some specifically claiming reporters would be bombed, referencing an instance 40 years ago when an Arizona Republic reporter was killed in a car bomb explosion.
While there are a lot of examples of the intense criticism continually spewing forth during this election, there have been some positive events that prove no matter what happens Nov. 8, the county should be alright.
The aforementioned firebombing resulted in a few Democrats banding together and starting a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help get the office running as quickly as possible. The campaign raised more than $13,000 in a short amount of time and shows despite philosophical differences in how people believe the county should be governed, they can band together and help one another. A number of Canadians, responding to an online viral video from a Toronto-based creative agency, have started a campaign to “Tell America It’s Great,” using social media to discuss the aspects of America that makes the country great. It’s a uniquely Canadian thing to do, but it’s something to help remind us we do a lot of good.
In the end, regardless of the election results, we are Americans and should ultimately stand together and work towards a better county. We are better than the hate and venom spewed during this election and hopefully, we can move forward when Nov. 9 comes around.
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