Do me a favor, take a moment to clear your head. For the last several months, we have worried about the economy, heard about terrorist connections, obsessed over the meaning of “the mother’s health,” laughed at gaffes and SNL parodies, debated tax policy and health care, and wondered at the fervent and sometimes violent expressions of fear and racism.

For the last 8 years our nation has been rocked with tragedy after tragedy. We’ve mourned for September 11th and the lives of thousands of American troops and countless world civilians in two wars. We’ve been shocked at images of hurricane-ravaged cities and collapsing bridges. We’ve cursed at gas prices, seen our neighbors’ homes foreclosed, and stood powerless as jobs were moved overseas.

Worst of all, beginning in 2000, we’ve been held captive to the so-called “culture wars” with wedge politics bringing issues like gay marriage, abortion, immigration, public financing of private schools, public funding of religious charity, hysteria over gun ownership and more. We’ve been divided and pitted against each other as high-level political operatives have used pulpits, media conglomeration, manufactured reports and issues, and sometimes outright lies to carve out narrow margins of victory by playing to the basest of our fears and prejudices.

Put the last 8 years and the last 2 months into context, and listen to this one more time:

Now go vote!