What was the hardest part of this election cycle for you?

[PrincessFiona]

Me? Facebook. I have a friend who ranted about the cost of a doctor visit and then ranted about doctor hero worship. i just paid $190 to have my washing machine repairman spend 10 minutes with my machine I did not scream about the hero worship of repairman. :/ I hope we can get past it. She absolutely cant stand doctors and now me!

[GrayMatterWife]

The ignorance and arrogance. It is desperately depressing. Knowing that my children are in no better place today that they were yesterday, or will be tomorrow. The phony strawman arguments. The pretense. The lying.

On both sides.

[PrincessFiona]

Hugs abigail. I think we all need a post-election therapy session!

[diggitydot]

The dickbag commercials. I. hate. them. I'm cool with most everything else. Democratic republics are loud and messy -- it's just part of the system.

[corn poffi]

Everything.

[peggyfromwastate]

That my kids (ages 16, 11, and 11) have been BOOED and chastised and called names in their classrooms for saying that their PARENTS were voting for Romney. And all this happens while a teacher is there leading the DISCUSSION.

No hope for civil discourse in the future. None.

My dd16 who has dated more black guys than white (by far) has been called a racist who hates women. WTF?

I'm over the entire climate here.

My dad, small business owner, has to fire at least a few employees bc the taxes on him are going up astronomically. Sad bc he's poured his life into the practice and what for? Obamacare and health care uncertainty means he can't even sell his clinics. Docs aren't interested and no one feels financially secure to make investments. Life for my dads employees is going to change-- they'll be kicked over to the government system whatever that may be. Much more economical for my dad to pay the fine by the govt. and most of his employees are straight ticket dems. They vote how they are instructed by Hispanic talk radio. Talk about hatred spewed from right wing talk radio? Try Hispanic talk radio. I dare you!

It's sad all over. It's bad for small business, bad for fiscal conservatives, and bad for the future of our kids. But why be so uncivil about everything? That's what makes me think there's no hope for getting along ever.

I know hearing my kids upset and confused as to why they are being made fun of and verbally attacked for expressing a "republican" ideal, it makes me less likely to listen thoughtfully to the left and see what is the big attraction. It makes me more. Mama Bearish and more GROW THE FUCK UPish to the teachers who let this shit fly right in the class.

There.

This has pushed me to profanity.

I think I'll take a break for a few months...

[Thirteen]

Peggy, that's just not right at all!
Someone should have squashed all that drama in the classroom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobk]

I feel fortunate. I don't watch tv or listen to radio regularly and haven't heard a single ad this election season. I also don't use Facebook.

I really feel sorry for people here who have or had major family rifts over politics. I can't imagine being on non-speaking terms with loved ones over an election vote.

[SoonerTexan]

NPR. I love listening in the car, but the bias started to bug me after awhile ("In this segment, we will fact check statements from last nights debate." Except they only fact checked Romney)

[GrayMatterWife]

That my kids (ages 16, 11, and 11) have been BOOED and chastised and called names in their classrooms for saying that their PARENTS were voting for Romney.

Good grief... I thought it was just my kid. DS did not want to go to school today because some of his classmates said yesterday that anyone who voted for Mitt Romney was stupid and mean. He said that his parents were voting for Romney and that they weren't stupid and mean, and that HE thought that higher taxes were a bad idea and that he is worried about Iran and the bomb (WTH??? How do you know about this??)... and he nearly got beat up. I told him that he had to go to school today--he couldn't cut just because things were uncomfortable, but that he could just not talk politics. He said he didn't want to be afraid and he didn't want to be bullied, and I said that it was not his job to defend my voting decision (and I also told him that it was a private matter, anyway).

Seriously. He's in SECOND GRADE. At least his teacher was NOT involved in this stuff at all.

[Sheherezade]

We have that in the opposite direction here (Repub kids bullying Dem kids). It's ridiculous. Jenn Patel just posted on FB about her teen getting harassed for their Obama vote. This is one reason we need to get along. The ugliness is affecting our kids.

[Deebs]

First - living in a swing state. It really did feel like the presidential candidates were running for the President of Ohio. It became comical how frequently they were in our state, and then I was sad that it wasn't really exciting that the President was coming to our state.

I'm really glad my kids were so young this election cycle. I don't remember ever feeling like people just really hate each other for their beliefs. I also got so tired of feeling like most people only worry about abortion and gay marriage. Maybe it's just my FB page, but no one seems to be talking about the size of government, taxes, economic security, safety, internet security, education, and other issues that I kind of think are huge. We live in a country with incredibly complex problems. I tried to explain to my poor four and six year old son and daughter some of the issues I was deciding on while I was debating what candidate I should vote for (I did leave healthcare out of those discussions - I don't want them to worry about my uncertainty about the ACA). I also tried to start teaching them about the electoral college (thank you Veronica for the awesome map we used). I find the system frustrating, but also don't think I really understood it until I was into college.

I felt like people were afraid to say they were voting for Romney. I honestly went back and forth with my vote for months, and most of my friends know that I have voted for both parties and don't really identify well with either. They would tell me they were voting for him, but not to tell anyone else, and then hash out their decision with me. I saw people posting things like, "don't set us back 50 years, poor Ann, Romney thinks I deserve NO civil rights and will take yours too," and on and on. If you don't think he's the right man to lead the country, fine, but I do personally think he's a really good man who has done some really good things as a person. I also think Obama's a good man. I just can't stand the personal kind of attacks. I don't think you go through the crap it takes to run for president if you don't love America, at least on some level.

[peggyfromwastate]

I just don't remember this animosity from growing up. I was in a very republican area but we never treated the democrats badly-- we didn't even pay much attention!! We were all kids-- and it was all politics.

I do think the "this is the end of America" rhetoric is over the top. But then you see this anger and it's spilling over... Frustrating. I feel like every election gets more and more vitriolic on both sides.

[diggitydot]

I grew up in a CRAZY republican/racist/sexist area. Even half of the shit that was said IN THE 90s was insane. I've mellowed over the years. Can you imagine my childhood? Yeah, lots o' fun.

I'm not lumping in every GOPer that I grew up around into the racist/sexist asshole group, just that ALL of the racist/sexist assholes also happened to be republican in that area at that time.

[BonBon]

I'm really glad my kids were so young this election cycle. I don't remember ever feeling like people just really hate each other for their beliefs. I also got so tired of feeling like most people only worry about abortion and gay marriage. Maybe it's just my FB page, but no one seems to be talking about the size of government, taxes, economic security, safety, internet security, education, and other issues that I kind of think are huge. We live in a country with incredibly complex problems. I tried to explain to my poor four and six year old son and daughter some of the issues I was deciding on while I was debating what candidate I should vote for (I did leave healthcare out of those discussions - I don't want them to worry about my uncertainty about the ACA). I also tried to start teaching them about the electoral college (thank you Veronica for the awesome map we used). I find the system frustrating, but also don't think I really understood it until I was into college.

I felt like people were afraid to say they were voting for Romney. I honestly went back and forth with my vote for months, and most of my friends know that I have voted for both parties and don't really identify well with either. They would tell me they were voting for him, but not to tell anyone else, and then hash out their decision with me. I saw people posting things like, "don't set us back 50 years, poor Ann, Romney thinks I deserve NO civil rights and will take yours too," and on and on. If you don't think he's the right man to lead the country, fine, but I do personally think he's a really good man who has done some really good things as a person. I also think Obama's a good man. I just can't stand the personal kind of attacks. I don't think you go through the crap it takes to run for president if you don't love America, at least on some level.

Oh gosh, ALL OF THIS!!!! I voted for Gary Johnson, even though I couldn't throw myself 100% behind him, either. I do lean more Republican than Democrat, because the issues that I most care about are fiscal. I found a lot of what I saw on FB appalling, really pathetic and juvenile...and people, if you post only partisan shit, then I'm not going to pay ANY attention to it. I very rarely discuss my own views because I don't feel that they're "acceptable" or that I'll have any friends left if I do express them.

Ugh. I'm just so over it...and while my opinion of people is not colored by their political views, it's HOW they discuss it that informs my opinion.