Today is going to go down in history.

I don’t think I’ve ever written about politics before, likely as a result of my inability to vote: living in England I was too young, and I suppose living in Canada as a British citizen doesn’t really make my opinion on the country’s government count, I suppose, but somehow, today, I find myself ridiculously wrapped up in the state of the US presidential election. The recent Canadian election came and went, and I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people couldn’t have given a monkey’s about the result. As I was informed today, it was the “lowest turnout in Canadian voting history”. So what is it that the Americans are doing that instigates such strong opinions in Canadians, who can’t even vote in their election?

Over the last few weeks, much of my exposure to the campaigns has been through the UK’s BBC radio. At times I’ve been downright appalled hearing racist McCain & Palin supporters voice their opinions of Obama, voting Republican because he “must be a terrorist”. The number of ill-educated, chauvinistic racists in America recently reflected is atrocious. Unfortunately they make up a significant chunk of voters.

A recent AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbour negative views toward people of colour — many calling them “lazy” or “violent”. The poll, conducted with Stanford University, suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 — about two and one-half percentage points. More than a third of all white Democrats and independents — voters Obama can’t win the White House without — agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, according to the survey, and they are significantly less likely to vote for Obama than those who don’t have such views.

How can people be so closed minded? And how can there be so many of these people out there? It disgusts me to see people fearing the end of the world as they know it if an African-American becomes president of the United States. I’m glad it seems that in spite of such widespread bigotry, it seems hopeful that Obama will win the election. But I can’t help but be deeply disturbed by the fact that some of the people advocating his campaign are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone “largely unnoticed — and unreported. They’ve had doors slammed in their faces. They’ve been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they’ve endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can’t fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.”

I just went to the Fox News forum and the first comment I see?

A true Christian would not vote for BO unless they have been greatly deceived. That is what I think has happened to the Christians who voted for BO. They have been deceived and are not in their right minds. He does not stand for any of my Christian values and his ideas do not line up with the Word of God. The antichrist will greatly deceive many…I think BO is the antichrist. BO would be the first step into communism…socialism/marxism. If our liberal public schools were actually teaching the true history of this nation and other nations, the children that are now young adults would not be voting for BO. I will continue to pray for the souls of those deceived by BO and for our country.

Sadly this was the tone of the vast majority of pro-McCain comments I read. I hate to be controversial but I wonder why it seems that the words “Christian” so often go hand in hand with “racist” in this election. I don’t particularly want to bring religion into it because recently I’ve been exploring my own spirituality, and for the first time, Christianity. From this I take several ways of life and try and follow through with my own life. Forgive others, be a good person, don’t gossip, be thankful for what you have – all very positive ways of thinking and living. But it’s so hard to want to be associated with so many Christians who are outright racists. I can’t vote in this election. But I can hope that the appointment of Barack Obama, a fine leader for the most influential nation in the world, will help expedite the eradication of closed-minded racism.