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Date: 10/13/2020
Usually this is one of favorite times of the year.
For me, a fat man, the time for sweaters have returned, which will help disguise a multitude of bodily sins caused by the lack of going to the gym since March.
I love seeing fields of pumpkins, farm stands with winter squash varieties and fresh picked apples. Cider, it’s time for that delicious beverage.
It’s time to turn the ovens back on and roast and bake things. Is there anything much better than a fresh baked pie with a spoonful of ice cream on a chilly fall night?
It’s time for Halloween and the celebration of spooky stuff. While I celebrate the meat and potato of the holiday all year round, it’s nice to see others dip their toe into the unknown once a year.
But this year, my joy is tempered by the pandemic and, frankly, the election.
I am tired – fatigued to my bones by this presidential election.
I am frustrated by the lack of common sense, the mindless adherence to ideology and the devotion bordering upon religious furor.
What was wrong with my upbringing that taught me political leaders are human beings and prone to make mistakes or be corrupted by the power their office might bring?
If you believe in a perfect human entity, you are not going to find it. We are all flawed. The issue is degree and what we try to do to correct our failings.
Every two-person contest means people need to balance what they hope to get with what they really get in a candidate.
Don’t worry, my conservative readers, I’m not going to write something that will get you blood boiling – not at least this week.
Is Vice President Joe Biden a perfect candidate? Not for me, by a long shot. Is President Donald Trump? I’m sure you know my answer.
Both men have had long public and private lives full of incidents by which they could be judged. That should be the yardstick we use: what have they done to deserve affirmation at this time?
We also need to see their capacity to admit when they are wrong, their ability to cross party lines in order to get something done and whether or not, by looking at their history, see that they have evolved to become a better person.
Yes, that’s a lot of work. It’s more difficult than simply screaming slogans at someone with whom you disagree. I think it’s worth it, though.
My feeling is nothing I can point out will change a single person’s mind. I write these columns as a way to spur discussion. I’ve learned all too well what I write, no matter how plainly and directly, will undoubtedly be misinterpreted by some people.
Besides, anyone who is now still undecided represents a true mystery to me.
I’m so glad that I write for a group of weekly community newspapers where meat and potato type of issues prevail. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in a national politic beat where everything I write is discounted by one side or another.
We live in times at which information flows at an astonishing rate. While too much of that information may be tainted and manipulated, it’s astonishing how quickly with the help of the Internet stories can be corroborated.
One would think a responsible voter would do just that. Check something out and make up your own mind based on facts.
Instead we’ve allowed many elected officials to become the human version of a coloring book. The outline is there and we choose the colors we want to fill in. We are imposing our own desires, aspirations and prejudices onto a candidate. We do so because it comforts us to think they represent us.
No, they don’t. Too many represent their own desires and prejudices. The trick is to make us believe we the public thought of it first.
Am I a little jaded? Of course. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve heard plenty of off-the-record remarks made by elected officials by which they reveal their true colors.
Are there honest elected officials? Yes, thousands of them and we have plenty here. The most honest are those who admit when they are wrong and attempt to fulfill the interests of their constituents. They are willing to have discussions, willing to help out their average person and willing to ask before acting.
As we get closer to Election Day, I’m mentally putting on my seat belt. I’m afraid it will be an increasingly bumpy ride.