MIDTERM ELECTION DRAMA

Midterms used to be boring elections. Lucky to have 20% turnout. That’s all changed now. People have flocked to early voting sites in record numbers in my state of Indiana. So, we should be prepared for some Midterm Election Drama.

Emotions are running hot and high. Whatever happens, some people are going to be very mad. Personally, I always feel sorry for the people who lose, even if it’s partly my fault if I didn’t vote for them. Think of all the time, money, effort, and emotion that goes into running for office. Most of us wouldn’t go through it. So, you have to respect anyone who runs for office in these volatile times. They could be risking their life.

winners & losers in the midterms — US electoral politics

The people who garner the most sympathy from me are the families of the losing candidates. Maybe they didn’t really want their mom/dad/sister/brother/spouse to run at all. But they were sucked into all the drama, whether they liked it or not. Now, The kids have to face the embarrassment when they go back to school on Wednesday or Thursday. I think it must be harder on them than the grown ups. But there has to be a lot of tears on pillows for everyone.

The winners, of course, are ecstatic. All their hard work and determination paid off! Their families are proud, and they feel like they’re all set. But really, it’s not going to be that great for them. Whereas the losers are soon out of public scrutiny and forgotten, the winners are going to face protests, nasty editorials, hate mail, and all kinds of ill will from the losing party. You have to be tough as a boot, with nerves of steel, to shrug all that off and keep going with a smile on your face.

And so, in anticipation of Tuesday night, I offer my sincere sympathy to the losers, and heartfelt congratulation to the winners. All of you fought the good fight. It’s what democracy is all about.

October 27, 2018November 10, 2018

LOVE AND HATE AT THE POLLS

When it comes to election day, the big question is: what emotion will generate the most votes? As Tina Turner used to say, “what’s love got to do with it”? Most of the TV commercials for my state’s midterm election are focused on the awful things the opposing candidate has or hasn’t done. Apparently, the candidates are banking on hatred for the other guy to win you over.

You have to wonder if all the angst stirred up by the Kavanaugh confirmation is going to mobilize members of both major parties. Will love or hate drive them to the polls on election day? And if so, will they cancel out each other’s votes? And will the latest odds by CNN prove accurate? They’re saying the Democrats will take the House, and the Republicans will prevail in the Senate. It will be interesting to see if the predictions are accurate.

VOTING AGAINST, NOT FOR — ELECTION DAY IS COMING

In big cities, people with like minded political views tend to hang out together. But in the small college town where I live, I interact with people from various economic backgrounds on a daily basis. I know flaming liberals and die hard conservatives–and right now, they’re an angry bunch. Liberals tend to verbalize their opinions openly, so you pretty much know who is going to vote for the Democratic candidates. The close-mouthed quiet ones are more apt to be Republicans, but that doesn’t mean they’re not headed for the polls in November.

The country has never been so divided and polarized as it is today. I can remember some very contentious elections, but somehow, people were civil. No one would have dreamed of attacking a politician in a restaurant or theater and forcing them to leave. About the only place a politician can feel safe nowadays is in a church. And that could change at any time!

July 9, 2018November 10, 2018

DO YOU VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES? IF NOT, WHY?

My state has the distinction of having had the lowest voter turnout in the primaries this spring: 20%. And yet, my hometown in Indiana is considered a bellwether city, having predicted the outcome of every presidential election except two since 1888. And they haven’t missed in 60 years. Clearly, Hoosiers do vote, just not so much in the primaries.

Statistically, college graduates are more likely to vote than the rest of the population. My husband and I both have post graduate degrees, but we don’t vote in the primaries, because in order to do so, you have to vote as a Republican or Democrat, and we are neither. For example: We strongly disagree with the Republican stance against Planned Parenthood. We disagree with Democrats on the idea of universal health care. Consequently, we tend to vote for a particular candidate who more closely represents our views, rather than the party he/she is affiliated with. We’ve voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates for years. And of course, we always voted for that Hoosier favorite, Evan Bayh, no matter what he was running for. There was a true gentleman and a scholar, and his leaving politics was understandable, but depressing.

Sometimes, if we don’t care for the candidates from either party, we choose the one we dislike the least.

I know, the party activists would accuse us of apathy and lacking in patriotism. But we aren’t activists. We wouldn’t have the energy for it, at our age. We only know about the newer candidates from what we see on TV, which may or may not be accurate, and it’s often easier to vote for or against an incumbent, because he/she at least has a track record. So now, we can just sit back, relax, and make our own independent decisions in the fall elections as to who would best serve the needs of our fellow Americans.

May 5, 2018November 11, 2018

SOME POTUS WERE A LITTLE “OFF”

The author F. Scott Fitzgerald once opened a story with, “the rich are very different from you and me.” Lately, with all the craziness going on in national politics, I have begun to wonder if politicians are very different from you and me.

Why do men and women go into politics? Supposedly, they are passionate about helping people to have a better life. That’s a worthy and very believable reason, but it seems you’d have to have an unusual amount of self confidence to think you would have the requisite personality traits and abilities to make great changes in society. Somewhere along the way, someone helped them form this good opinion of themselves—whether it be a parent, grandparent, teacher, or someone very close to them. So, that high self-esteem, wired into their brains, makes them slightly outside the “normal” curve. Politicians also must have the intestinal fortitude to endure a lot of nasty attacks on their integrity, appearance, personal life, ability to do the job, and even their families. Most of us don’t have the stomach for all of that public criticism.

Many presidents have been slightly “off.” FDR hid his polio-withered legs from the public for years, afraid that if people knew about his disability, they would never vote for him. Richard Nixon was paranoid and had an alcohol problem. JFK seduced White House interns and slept with mafia call girls. Lyndon Johnson sat on the toilet while talking with reporters , and was feared for his dark moods. Jimmy Carter acted more like a preacher than a president. Bill Clinton had a bit of a sex addiction problem. Now we have Donald Trump who behaves more like a medieval monarch that an elected official. And yet, in spite of their eccentricities and mental health problems, many politicians such as Abe Lincoln and Winston Churchill became great leaders.

Some presidents, like Harry Truman, had modest resources and no doubt were grateful for the perks, pension, and income provided by public office. Power, prestige and money could motivate many a politician. But what about those who are already rich? Someone like Romney? Is he a saint, or on an ego trip. I have no idea what makes these people tick. All I know is that something beyond the “normal” curve propels politicians into the stratosphere, seeking public office in places where angels fear to tread.

April 22, 2018November 10, 2018

A DISTURBING LACK OF CIVILITY

Yesterday, the media giddily reported that a tenured college teacher in California had called the late first lady a “witch” and that she was glad that Barbara Bush had died. The media also gave plenty of coverage to someone I never heard of called Roger Stone, who said the woman was a vicious drunk and she deserved to rot in hell.

Appalling.

Not just the fact that these people were so lacking in respect, but that the media would even cover such rot and give these rude people any voice at all. Weren’t we always taught that you don’t speak ill of the dead? Especially when they’re not yet cold in the grave? But then, of course, we have the former head of the FBI calling our duly elected president a “liar,” And said president turning around and calling that same man a “slimeball,” among other things.

What has happened to the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility? Name calling has always been the sign of a bully and a guttersnipe. Respectable people kept such thoughts to themselves or shared them privately.

And how in the world can we explain all of this to our grandchildren?

April 5, 2018January 30, 2019

JIM CROW LAWS & SEGREGATED BATHROOMS

On the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, I thought back to the time I first saw a segregated bathroom. I came of age in the State of Indiana, moved to Chicago, and had no idea there was such a thing.

While growing up on the wrong side of town, most of my neighbors didn’t go anywhere special for summer vacations. State parks, maybe. Later, in college, I knew lots of kids who could afford to go to Florida for spring break, but not one of them ever reported having to watch where they went to pee. I had never traveled south to Florida until I was married at age twenty four.

In 1960, my then husband decided to return to college for a degree from the University of Miami. After about a month of staying with in-laws, we rented a small apartment near the University. I didn’t know a soul, was bored to death, and worried about money. Two blocks away was a Sears Department Store. I knew my college degree wouldn’t mean much to them, but I had worked my way through school as a secretary, so figured that might qualify me for a job in the office at Sears.

I put on my best dress, a pair of high heels, walked in 90 degree heat to the store, and asked for directions to the Personnel Office. (They didn’t call it Human Resources then.) After climbing the stairs to the second floor, I thought I’d better stop in the restroom to wipe the sweat off my face and comb my hair. I asked someone where the Ladies Room was, and a bored clerk pointed her finger. Without paying much attention, I entered the restroom, surprised that it was dingy and smelly.

After I’d checked my appearance, I walked back into the store, and noticed all the white salespeople staring at me. I wondered if I was trailing toilet paper. Alarmed, I turned around, and realized that I had made what appeared to be a serious mistake. A large sign said LADIES ROOM. I hadn’t noticed the two smaller signs underneath, above two doors. One restroom was for COLORED, and the other WHITE. I had gone in the wrong door!

I was so shocked that when I finally sat down for an interview, I was shaking. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. I suppose I was rejected for one of two reasons: they thought I was either a nervous wreck or colored. Maybe both.