This week, I feel like an elderly lady sitting in her rocker, harkening back to "the good old days..." but who among us doesn't long for the days of civility? This election cycle is unlike any other we've experienced and it came to a head last week in my home.
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 President Nixon leaves the White House after the Watergate Scandal August 9, 1974.
As we tried to watch the GOP debate amid shouts and grown men rudely talking loudly over each other last Thursday night, I found myself sad and angry over the state of American politics today. As I expressed my frustration to my husband and daughter, I was suddenly reminded of a conversation I had with my dad when I was exactly the same age my daughter is now. I wasn't yet 11 years old as I watched President Richard Nixon depart the White House in a helicopter in August of 1974. Although he smiled and put two hands up in his well-known peace sign, even at my tender age I could tell he was sad, despite his outward smiles. Dad was on a roll as he foretold us how politics was changing.
"Things will just get uglier from here on out, " dad said to my mom. "Candidates just don't have honesty and integrity anymore," And then he shook his head and pointed to me and said "I don't even want to see what they'll be doing by the time she's an adult. Betcha they'll be coming to blows during televised debates," he joked. Problem is, it wasn't a joke last Thursday night, as the word "Liar" was hurled between candidates and one was mocked for sweating under the hot television lights. Is THIS what we've come to in America? "I want you to remember this, because someday you'll study Watergate in school, " my dad warned. When I asked him why President Nixon had to stop being our president, he told me it was because he got caught lying to the American people.
"So why can't he just say he's sorry and keep doing his job?" I asked.
"Because, " he said sounding exasperated at my barrage of questions..."Once you're caught lying, people just don't trust you anymore, and if the people he works for don't trust him, then he has to leave, otherwise things will start falling apart," he continued. "We Americans deserve a president who tells us the truth," Dad continued. And then he paused and leaned in before he said "Don't you ever forget that our elected leaders are there because they represent us and they work for us. It's WE. THE. PEOPLE. who put them in those nice offices in Washington D.C., and once they get there they're pretty important. They decide on laws that we follow. So, they should always tell us the truth and if they don't, then they don't deserve to lead us. "
And I never have forgotten this because for me, it was the first time I really understood that the president works for ME. Whomever occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is NOT a king or an emperor. He or She is supposed to be a public servant hired to represent us ALL. NOT only those who identify as a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican. EVERY. LAST. CITIZEN in this country is supposed to understand that the president works for WE THE PEOPLE. WE hire him or her. WE CHOOSE. It got me to thinking about the words my dad used. He talked about "Honesty," and "Integrity," both of which seem to be greatly absent in today's political climate. It seems, at a time when we're more connected to each other 24/7 via our smart phones, there's been a great disconnect in our ability to communicate nicely with each other. Someday I'll do a blog about the number of text feuds I've been involved in, mostly due to the inability of our phones to translate the cadence in our voices as we send jokes or mild sarcasm to our family and friends. But "lost in translation" is different from being absent. Today, in the political arena, I truly believe Daniel of the old testament was safer in the lion's den than he would be in any given political arena today, because civility is completely absent. Now, understand that I am an avowed news and political junkie, I double-majored in Journalism and Political Science and I'm passionate about American history so I'm that person who watches debates and absorbs every possible news piece just for sport. I don't expect most people keep on top of things like that, and truthfully I'm trying to move away from it all because it's consumed me to the point of resurrecting an ulcer. Usually I'm excited during election years but not this year. Never before have I been more disillusioned and frankly, more frightened for our country, as I watch the rapid decline of our electoral process. There are several culprits behind this decline but I hold the networks of the media most responsible for giving legs to the ugliness as soon as it started, and all for what else, but ratings. Once their ratings go up they plant more "seeds" to grow more feuds and then they spur on those endless nasty verbal exchanges we've all now come to expect from our candidates. Ladies and Gentlemen, we're all equally guilty! We tune in and watch it, and then we all take to our social media accounts to share it around the Internet! Would you do that if your children were fighting amongst themselves? When your three-year-old drops a curse word at Thanksgiving dinner, do you clap and cheer or do you try not to give the offending word any added attention or encouragement? You see the problem here? These men who were making idiots of themselves last Thursday are vying for the highest office in the land! They're supposed to be on a job interview with the American people but their boorish, disrespectful behavior should have gotten them kicked out of the office! |
We may never again get the honesty of a smart but poor Abe Lincoln who lived in a log cabin, but because it now takes billions to wage a campaign, so many men and women of considerable smarts and talent but little financial means may never be allowed to run for this office without compromising their integrity because of money needed ... money that inevitably comes from special interest groups. See why it's all so tainted in today's political game of thrones? Friends, LOOK what we've become!! Our presidency has already gone to the greediest, highest bidder and it's all based on ratings!! How can civility be present in such a toxic state of democracy?
Why are we sitting back and acting as if this is acceptable? We ALL need to hold the gatekeepers of our information accountable and we must STOP "sharing" and glorifying the hurled insults and nasty behavior our candidates who wish to "lead" us exhibit. If WE THE PEOPLE are watching the elected men and women who"lead" us behave so badly, if we read accounts of them cheating, lying, abusing the electoral system & manipulating results, is it any wonder that anyone bothers to cast a ballot on Election Day? We must demand that our media make the candidates on their stage bring back the civility that made our country so great.
And let's bring in the children shall we? How do we start to illustrate the political process and show them what a privilege voting is when they can clearly see that these grownups who are supposed to be the best of the best are acting worse than the biggest bully on the playground?? If our kids see the people who might be president someday act this way, how dare we expect anything more of our kids?
Frankly, WE THE PEOPLE deserve better than what both parties have thrown at us this year and it starts with the networks who bring "Fight Night" into our living rooms. This isn't a reality show for crying out loud, this is supposed to be an office where the grown-up in the room takes control of the rest of the rowdy kids running in different directions and quietly leads us back to our homes at the end of a crazy day. We've gone too long without that kind of commanding leadership, already. We're a nation starved for greatness we can all be proud of and the behavior exhibited by all of today's candidates is NOT representative of "Making America Great again by ANY of them. I'm not endorsing anyone. I just believe that we're disrespecting all previous generations who toiled to keep America humming along through wars and depressions. Not to mention 240 years' worth of American soldiers who did not bleed and die for this country for us to just sit back and be handed such a mess from which we must choose our next president.
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