Candidate X

Unless you’ve been living in an igloo in the Arctic Circle, you may have heard we have a big election coming up.

I’m not here to make a case for the person I’m voting for; you’ve probably already decided where your vote is going, and any reasoning I might offer to vote for my choice won’t change your mind.

My concern is with the country -  we the people - not a policy on healthcare, immigration, or the economy, though yes, those are very important - and how we act with each other, that has my concern.

I’ve seen and experienced relatives and good friends lash out because another person is voting differently from whom they support. Personally, I won’t put a bumper sticker supporting my candidate because I’m afraid that my car will get keyed, have it ripped off, or I’ll be harassed in some way, and that is wrong; I have a right to my opinion and expression of it; nevertheless, I choose to avoid inviting those things.

I would make the case that the United States is not going to devolve into post-apocalyptic chaos if this or that candidate is elected; our government has mechanisms in place to hamstring presidents that go too far - the Congress and the Supreme Court.

No, I’m concerned about how we treat each other and how we tear into someone who didn’t support the person we did.

And I blame the media for that, and yes, the candidates themselves.

I’m talking about newspapers, TV, social media, and pretty much anything out there that the masses can see; there is just way too much hate, misinformation, misleading information, and just outright made-up junk to persuade people that Candidate X is the way they should vote.

They have a vested interest in telling you that if candidate “X” isn’t elected, person “Y” will destroy the country - even the world. Why would they do that? Aren’t they supposed to be trusted news sources? Well, they used to be when people had some morals about honesty and presented both sides. Largely, that is no longer true. Sure, they may tell you the truth about something, but not the whole truth - perhaps missing context or not presenting the other side of the story. I’ve seen it many times.

But again, why?

Because they know if you are scared, you will come back to them for more information so you can adequately prepare for whatever calamity they purport is almost upon us and will come to pass if their candidate isn’t elected. And what happens when you come back? They get more ad revenue. It’s the news version of a perpetual cliff hangar like you’d see on a popular soap opera: “Tune in tomorrow when we see if candidate X will destroy the United States with this one policy!” And, of course, trying to sway you to their side.

Scared people want information so they can prepare to be less harmed; it does make sense. If an ice storm is coming, and power might be out for days, I want to prepare as best I can for my safety and comfort, and I will watch weather reports more often for updates. How much more so will people watch when the US or the world is going to be destroyed if candidate X is elected?

Also, consider that the people in these organizations have personal agendas, and they tend to cluster together. If you are a more liberal-minded person, you might watch or work at MSNBC; a more conservative-minded person, FOX. The people who work in these institutions tend to have a common mindset, an echo chamber of thought they can generally agree on, and anyone who doesn’t think the way they do is not very well tolerated. That’s a fact. People love listening to others who reinforce what they believe rather than having their beliefs challenged, so they tune in to those they agree with.

The troubling concern I have about this election is that no matter who wins (even if it is decided on election day, which I doubt), there is another half of the country that is going to be angered, disappointed, and frightened, and will, I’m afraid, lash out, if not at people they know (“How could you have voted for X?!”), then at more public targets, like the opposing party or things they represent. It may even cause a large-scale mental health crisis; people have been told by the media (to the candidate’s delicious delight) that if Candidate X wins, then life in America will stop as we know it, threatening our very lives.

Then, once “X” is elected, the opposition to him or her begins, with lawfare and any type of legislative tools available to prevent them from taking office. If they do manage to take office, assailing them constantly while in office until they get out.

I fear this election, I really do, because of the coming apocalypse the media has told us will happen if “X” doesn’t get elected.

That’s not to say I don’t believe that if “X” is elected, and not my person, I will be concerned about the policies they will enact; of course, I will, and it will be tempting to blame a friend or a family member that I know voted for that candidate. If a policy doesn’t work out as planned, I won’t be the only one, and next time around, maybe my person will get voted in.

Let what that candidate’s  (now president) actions speak for you. They will see that maybe what they thought was a good idea, in actuality, wasn’t. That’s the only way to get them to change their minds about now-president X.

In like fashion, if president X does make a policy change, and it does work out for our nation’s betterment, blink your eyes a few times and see that person in a different light. Be honest and admit, ok, maybe you had it wrong. We must learn to acknowledge that sometimes the “devil” on the other side is correct, but in a similar fashion, they should admit when they are wrong. You don’t hear people do that nowadays, and it doesn’t contribute to my trust in them.

I understand entirely that candidate X, who was not your choice, might enact policies that you don’t like or I don’t like. That’s the way it is in a democratic republic. If they are that bad, the county will correct that in the next election.

It doesn’t hurt to trust God either.