Please, if you will, take a look at the comments section of this link to a Digg article. Those weak of stomach, heart, or those whom are pregnant may want to refrain!

Now that you’re back, I hope you’re as disgusted as I am. Those kind of comments are exactly why I left the Democratic party a few years ago and became an Independent! Yes, yes, I know all the comments are talking about McCain, a Republican, but hear me out.

McCain is getting attacked because he’s varies from the Republican party line on a few issues. Immagration (those he recanted a bit) and torture are a couple. Heck, he even has views on same-sex marriage that nearly match both Democratic presidential candidates (yes, even Obama). Yet, for the most part, he’s conservative on most issues. He was arguably the cheerleader for the surge, and has supported this war as well as the President. He’s for lowering taxes, he’s against abortions, etc, etc, etc. Yet, because he differs on a few issues, he’s slammed.

Now back to why this partisan attitude also applies to the Democrats: Joe Lieberman. Although with the Republicans on terrorism and foreign policy, he is essentially liberal on most other issues. Yet, he gets flack from Dems for his foreign policy views. Now, before anyone who knows me says, “Ahh, but Mike, you voted for Ned Lamont in 2006. So how can you defend Lieberman now?” It is true I voted for Lamont, and I’ve made no secret of the fact. It was mostly a last minute decision, and largely because of Lieberman’s staunch support for the direction things were going at the time in Iraq, in addition to some statements he made around the time, with which I disagreed.

Still, I do agree with Lieberman on many other issues. That, and like with McCain, I respect his ability to reach across the aisle and work with the Republicans to get things done. This partisan divisiveness that’s come across the country in the last several years is frankly pretty shameful. These days, if you look like you might have an independent mind, and not always stick to the party line, you’re demonized. Thus, I give you John McCain and Joe Lieberman, two guys who are independently minded, and consequently get hounded for it. After their respective elections in 2006 and this year, they would be well within their rights to either quit their parties, or else try and form a new centrist party. That would be the day, right? A day when the Democratic and Republican parties had their duopoly on this country wrangled straight from their grips. I know it sounds like a dream, but if the two parties are going to increasingly become more partisan as the years go on, I think it’ll be a necessary step in order to keep this country from falling apart.

After all, as Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I mean, there is no arguing with that, and it is my fear that this nation’s house will become more divided if something isn’t done to push it back together. A centrist party, particularly one that finds some kind of political strength, would be a wake-up call to both parties. Of course, I’m not stupid; I know that under the stewardship of R&D, this is next to impossible. Still, it should not be so, and I wish it was not the case, because it is beginning to show that it’s time for a third party to come upon the scene. To give a wake-up call to this country, and those that run it. That would be the day…