I just hope there are still enough thoughtful, reasoned voters to balance out the knee-jerk bigots.

Jaded and cynical as I am, I severely doubt it. Our country seems to focus on the cosmetic in many, many regards. It started with celebrities and it's extended to our understanding of politics and politicians. Comments about hair and teeth and accents, speech patterns all as it relates to the electability of a candidate, but with no mention of platform or philosophies, voting history, nada! It drives me bonkers. As much as I'd like to *believe* that we've changed, I'm not sure that we've changed enough.