How will we behave this time?

The 2012 presidential election cycle is ramping up. Every four years it seems to start sooner and last longer. The players are getting set. The signs are being made. The media is drooling, and we are already being subjected to what will be a blitz of media, candidates, polls and debates. It also raises the question of how will we behave this time?

Let’s face it, the 2008 presidential election and our own U.S. Senate election were toxic, divisive and just plain nasty. I’m pretty sure no one in Alaska or down in the Lower 48 wants a repeat performance.

These elections were polarizing in ways that bordered on scary, almost nightmarish. Do we really need all that? Only the people of this nation can tell our prospective candidates from all the parties involved to behave rationally and respectfully. But it is not only them who must behave. We must commit to do so as well. We are also at fault for the divisive mess our country is in. “We the people” includes all of us. Anything less threatens the very life of this nation.

Another fault factor is the media. It fanned the flames of stupidity, at times reveling in the mess it created. I won’t bother listing the names or the networks involved. We all know who they are and who they work for. We should send them the message to stay neutral or stay out. Of course, that is easier said than done.

Election politics in America can be a passionate experience, and there is nothing wrong with that. We go to the rallies and wave our signs for our candidates of choice. We hold town meetings, debates and caucuses. We argue about the many issues with fervor. We stand in support of the candidate we believe to be the right one for the position.

When we elect a president, it is an emotional as well as political choice that tends to amp up our feelings, passions and beliefs to levels that can bring out the best, or worst, in us. This is how it has been for more than 235 years.

But the advent of technology like the Internet, Twitter, Blackberry and other gizmos has taken election season to new highs and new lows that can stun the unsuspecting to disbelief and apathy.

So I ask the question again, how will we choose to behave this time?

Be passionate. Wave your signs. Debate your issues with firm resolve. Support the candidates of your choice with honor and intent. Make sure candidates do the same for you. Make sure they are doing everything aboveboard, legally and to high standards. Remember, during all of this we are all Americans.

So, the players are getting set. We have the current president on one side and a host of others jostling for position on the other. The circus is about to begin. It is our opportunity to show the world our true colors. Or, we can choose to continue to wallow in our toxic rhetoric full of bile, accusations and total dysfunction.

It is up to us — we the people — to decide just how we conduct ourselves. It falls upon us each to answer the question of how we will behave this time.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.