The American Presidential Election
The American Presidential Election is less than a week away. We have had a lot of elections in this country. Many of them have been fraught, but none in my lifetime has been as contentious and as foreboding to each side as this one is.
Lies have been rampant as the Republican Party has set out since the 2020 election to subvert that election and then this election with the intricate and elaborate lie that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 election and is working to “steal” this election and destroy the democratic process. In truth Maga operatives, lawyers, election officials have sought to purge voter roles, interfere with long standing election procedures and convince the public of the lie that democracy is under siege from the left. In other words, working to subvert the election but blaming liberals and Democrats for the destruction of democracy. This leaves both sides terrified for the state of the country. Unwitting patriotic Americans gathering news or information from unreliable, biased sources are being fed a daily diet of lies and the people feeding them these lies are planning to profit mightily by this campaign - by the acquisition of power and/or wealth. And while these liars, con artists, and profiteers of the Maga agenda manipulate an audience that has been fed this steady diet - pablum and red meat - of lies, they are setting the country on a path to conflagration regardless of the outcome of the election.
In the past few elections, my liberal friends have been worried about placing lawn signs in their yards for fear that the signs might be stolen or vandalized or that further retribution might be visited upon their property. Now, their worries are more potent - that they might be rounded up, arrested, shot, beaten by a mob if Trump wins or if he loses. And if Trump loses, endless legal challenges are expected and fears of violent mobs are prevalent.
In elections past, we worried about the changes the winner might make, and we might have voiced concern over the preservation of democracy. But, we didn’t fear for the safety of journalists, government officials, entire ethnic groups, or even for communities where opponents’ yard signs appeared. But there are few guardrails, short of a more genteel decorum from a more genteel time. And this time is far from genteel. Epithets and insults, threats, lies, vulgarities assault the ear. The anger and aggression unleashed for this election are far beyond what I can imagine anyone wanting to hear. It makes this writer’s head spin imagining what compels the Maga right to feel so much anger or to want to hold onto so much anger. As someone on the other side, I struggle to understand how those drinking the Maga Kool-Aid can believe the sorts of lies, the stoking of fears, the manipulations that they have been fed. And having been conned so thoroughly, will they ever allow themselves to believe that they were, in fact, duped, lied to, conned, and that the very people feeding them these lies were only in it for their own aggrandizement, power and profit?
We can hope that if Trump loses this election, the ugliness with which he has assaulted society will dissipate and that we will return to a more civil discourse - one where we actually discuss ways to make certain that our children have good schools to attend, live in peace with our neighbors, have good healthcare, breathe clean air and drink clean water.
Below are excerpts from two stories on this site that discuss past elections. They might make you nostalgic. They might remind you of the sort of civility with which we once discussed and elected our leaders. They might encourage you to talk with your neighbors about issues, rather than avoiding issues. We also invite you to share your own election story. Do you remember what it was like to cast your first vote? Do you remember your parents talking about elections? What political climate or political ideals do you long for? Share your stories. Your stories matter.
Hooray For the Red, White and Blue
A story by Pat Broman
I am proud of these patriotic ancestors. They were the inflexible advocates of civil, political, and religious liberty. They were men of bold and fearless hearts as were many of our early ancestors, whether they were born here or came here wanting opportunities or religious freedom. Fourth of July has a special meaning for me. I think my revolutionary forbears would be shocked and saddened by the political display that is our present election process. Maybe not!! Their press was the organ of the Whig Party. Politics has always seemed to bring about colorful and scathing rhetoric. It’s time our would-be leaders showed dignity and respect for our country.
A story by Elena Hiatt Houlihan
So now, it's the eve of the final Presidential Debate between McCain and Obama, but for many of us, the voting is over. The American Embassy in Argentina hosted a voting party on October 8, complete with red, white and blue balloons, refreshments, and a speech by the ambassador. The lines stretched around the block. Americans who had lived in BsAs for years working for corporations, students, first time voters, from Pepperdine, here for a semester, retirees from New York or Chicago stretching their pension dollars, all patiently endured temporary confusion, filled out forms, drank Starbucks coffee, and put their ballot in the blue box. From there, the ballots would be sent by diplomatic pouch to various precincts in the USA. And the correct destinations were assured by a table of volunteers who looked up every single address no matter the state, and hand wrote it on the required exterior envelope. The event and the embassy were carefully supervised by numerous staff and guards, and originally cell phones and cameras were held in airport type baskets until after the voting.
Jean McGavin