I've never seen politics as polarized between the Democrats and Republicans as this election in Minnesota. I just came home from dropping kids off at school, and at the freeway ramp intersection during rush hour, we had a Mondale supporter on one corner, competing for honks and waves with a Coleman supporter on the opposite corner.

If anyone is in any doubt as to how the media is contributing to this "battle of the parties" political mentality, here is this interesting tidbit. Minnesota Public Radio and the local NBC affiliate are sponsoring the only debate including Mondale this morning, and they have locked out the third party candidates from participating, claiming most people don't want the "interference" in the debate between Coleman and Mondale. We are used to seeing this, of course. It is done frequently in the debates to third party candidates, but hasn't been done much in Minnesota this year for either the governor or US senate race, because we have a third party governor and the Greens have major party status (ie over 5% of the vote).

And the decision to exclude the third party candidates from debating Mondale at all is strictly the media's call. No one else's. So in whose interest is the media acting, hmmmm?

Thankfully, the Independent Party candidate is trying to get an injunction to stop the debate. I know he'll never get it, but at least it draws attention to this debacle where the real loser is the democratic electoral process and the voters.

I won't be voting for either of the major parties this year, or probably any time in the near future. As I've said before, I'm a political animal in the grassroots sense, but I've never been a party animal. I've never been as disgusted with electoral politics as I am this year. The party politicians and mass media creating "battles" for their ratings are so depraved and despicable, I am seriously considering a move to Canada.