I don’t know about all of you but I never cease to be amazed by human behavior during election season. There are two specific examples I would like to mention:
The first concerns STEALING of candidate yard signs from private properties. How many signs are stolen each election season is just amazing. And these signs cost money, if not to the homeowner who is displaying them then to the folks that contributed to the campaigns. Do the miscreants that take these signs understand that they are depriving someone of their free speech rights? A sign on the lawn expresses the homeowners support for a candidate. This, to me at least, is so much better than advertising by faceless superpacs with cute and misleading names.
The second is the ignorant boobs who yell obscenities or make obscene gestures at the volunteers of either party who work at busy intersections waving signs supporting their candidates. If you disagree with them a simple thumbs down effectively communicates you disagreement whereas obscenities communicates your ignorance. Think about how you would feel if the positions were reversed? All the volunteers are doing is expressing their Constitutional Right to Free Speech and your obscene gestures, contrary to some opinion, are not free speech they are bullying ignorant behavior.
If you disagree with a candidate, fine then don’t vote for them. Or better yet, put up a lawn sign on your lawn or go to a busy intersection and wave a sign for “your candidate”.
For the last several presidential cycles, my experience has been that ideology trumped civility -- which is why I choose not to discuss politics with close friends and family on the "other side of the aisle." For me, relationships are far more important than trying to win arguments.