The thing about election season is that it’s pretty much the one time that everyone is obsessed with politics.  Even lower-information folks who are either uninformed, disillusioned, or disinterested now have and will (loudly) voice their opinion. And if you disagree with them, well you’re just an idiot, now aren’t you?

We’ve all seen the endless and angry battles of word and wit on our friends’ and family members’ Facebook walls when political disagreements arise.  They always devolve into mudslinging battles of the worst kind, where religion and abortion are referenced, usually by way of, “I no longer believe in a loving God because if he really existed then He wouldn’t allow you to be so stupid,” and, “I now support abortions in the 98th trimester because of how ignorant you are.”  Except everything is spelled wrong.  And the grammar.  Oh, the grammar.

I used to be one of those people (but without the spelling and grammar errors) right after I graduated college and the 2008 election just a few months away.  I would advocate so passionately on behalf of my progressive ideals, and the next harebrained libertarian to refute what I say WILL RUE THE DAY, I TELL YOU!

Of course, at the end of these exchanges nothing is ever accomplished except for hurt feelings, e-rage, and a shorter friends lists.

I’ve calmed down a bit since then.  As a matter of fact, I’ve made it a matter of policy to discuss politics on Facebook as infrequently as possible, with the occasional exception of posting an important news story or witty political cartoon.

The reason why an adherence to politeness and civil disagreement is so important because when we are blinded by anger at our adversaries, we forget what is important to us.  Serious and real issues like voting rights, indefinite detention, internet privacy, campaign finance, and so on are brushed to the side and swept under the rug and replaced with divisiveness and disunity.  I saw this just the other day.  The friend who this post is dedicated to updated her Facebook status with a reference to protecting abortion rights, and the conversation almost immediately became inflamed by angry name-calling responses and calloused ad-hominen attacks from both sides.

The real tragedy when this happens is that we psychologically dehumanize our ideological opponents.  We literally forget that they’re thinking, feeling, breathing, seeing human beings.  And that’s irrespective of the point being debated, which is completely unsalvageable at that point.

This is why I ask you to remain calm at all times throughout this election season.  It will be a long one.  Candidates will say stupid things.  People will disagree with you.  But always remember that even those who disagree with you have a point of view, and if you want to have even a remote chance of changing their opinion, you must respect them as a person and avoid lowering yourself to a more primitive level.

However, the close second place finish by former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum mustn’t ignored.  (Quick thought, does anyone take immense pleasure in the thought of millions of Americans googling Santorum for the first time this morning?  Because I do.) Romney spent about $150 per vote to Santorum’s $20, which refreshingly shows there’s actually something to be said for his strategy of visiting every single county in Iowa  and meeting face-to-face with thousands of potential voters.  In essence, Santorum’s runner-up finish might be considered a victory by any reasonable measure.  With his star suddenly rising, let’s take pause and ask ourselves if Santorum is an actual legitimate contender.

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Nope.  He’s not.

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If you are currently inclined to hitch a slide on the Santorum Subway, then a few people named Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich would like to have a word with you.  It seems obvious to me that Santorum’s accomplishments last night is merely a result of fortuitous “anyone but Romney” timing, coupled with fundamentalist Iowa evangelicals rallying behind the last unstained social conservative in the race.  I doubt Santorum takes this momentum into the New Hampshire (1/10) and South Carolina (1/21) primaries, where he is still polling in the single digits.

With that being said, can we all just step back and really bask in awe that 30,007 people actually voted Rick Santorum for the Republican presidential nominee?  Rick Santorum, the anti-science creationist who proposed Intelligent Design be taught in public schools.  Rick Santorum, the intolerant bigot who stated that homosexuality should be illegal and compared it to bestiality and pedophilia.  Rick Santorum, the partisan hack who said that liberalism was at fault for the molestation of altar-boys.  Rick Santorum, the insensitive reactionary who equated Senate Democrats to Adolf Hitler.  Rick Santorum, the warmonger who advocates bombing Iran.  Rick Santorum, the intrusive crusader who believes that there is no right to privacy in the United States Constitution.

In time, Santorum will stumble under the media pressure and his star will fade.  Like I said above, his current popularity is merely the result of a logical progression as far right Tea-Party extremists continue their search for an “anyone but Romney” candidate.  I predict that once Santorum goes down in stains and Newt Gingrich’s number slide down the toilet, Ron Paul will get a bump in the polls.  The paradox being that Ron Paul, the granddaddy of the modern-day libertarian movement, has yet to be embraced by so-called Tea-Party libertarians.

Personally, I’m hopeful for the possibility that once Gingrich, Santorum, and the rest of the pack fail to dislodge Romney as top Republican contender, Ron Paul receives the “anyone but Romney” support just as Romney is nominated by the party establishment, leading to a mainstream/libertarian split of the Republican party at their convention.  My mouth waters at the thought, but that’s for another blog post entirely.

Update:  Just as I thought I was going a little harsh on Rick Santorum (Have you heard that he has seven kids?  Yeah, so did I), a good friend of mine sent me an article in which Santorum states that the 45,000 Americans who die from lack of health insurance every year do so not from lack of coverage, but from their own poor decisions.  If that doesn’t get your blood boiling then you’re missing the point about this whole life thing entirely.  But unfortunately, this kind of thing doesn’t matter to more and more Republican voters.  These are the same people that cheer the extensive use of the death penalty and the thought of the uninsured dying.