After

There is no denying that the stakes are high in the mid-term election. We’ve voted (thank you Massachusetts for Early and Mail-in options). Now we await the results of our country’s elections and anticipate with a great deal of anxiety and angst how the results will impact us all in the coming days and months.

Despite attempts by pundits and publications, I don’t believe there is a reliable predictability to the outcome of the midterm elections. Polling? I’m a Boomer and don’t answer phone calls from people I don’t have in my contact list. How are pollsters getting the samples on which they base their conclusions?

The bias in news reporting found on the web is well documented. I’ve stopped reading the click-bait style “reports” and have started to ignore even national news sources. It’s been increasingly difficult to locate reliable sources for topics for which I, a voter, need to find information.

The political atmosphere and deteriorating discourse currently rampant in the United States feels overwhelming. It used to be one could politely disagree with another. So we wonder: are things worse than ever in the United States? Is this country on such a divisive path that there can be no discussion, no compromise?

As a une femme d’un certaine âge, I wonder, is this just a perception that comes with, well, reaching a certain age. I wonder if I’ve turned into a grumpy old (wo)man incapable of change, or is this period of our history really among the most dispiriting? Having been a young adult during the 1960s and 1970s , I recognize what appear as seismic shifts in society. This feels different. And not in a good way.

So often in my life I’ve wished I could ask my parents and grandparents about some point in history that they experienced. We are fortunate that my Mother - born in 1923 and age 99 - is still with us. So this morning we asked her for a little historical perspective

Is life in the current times really deteriorated (politics, discourse, etc.) or is it we who have changed (senior citizens perspective)? You’ve lived through a lot of history - wondering about your take on these times?

Her reply came in two parts; this was the first

The short answer is yes. But certainly social media has become a way to express our thoughts and insult those with opposing beliefs with no consequences. Talk radio and talk TV also are culpable. Lying does not seem to matter any longer--It is probably true that politicians always lied, but it has become so blatant that there is no attempt to tell the truth. I am disheartened. I will vote and hope there are enough others like me who will put aside personal issues like inflation and save our democracy. Not optimistic though. And that makes me sad for Zoe and my grandchildren.

Later this morning she offered these

Remembering the McCarthy hearings in 1954 Many people especially in the arts were accused of being traitors to our country. It was a lawyer from Boston, Joseph Welch who called Joe Mccarthy out on his lies and misinformation. (Is it karma that we now have Kevin McCarthy who can lie without shame?) Remembering Watergate and when Sen. Howard Baker said about Nixon "What did he know and when did he know it?" He was a member of Nixon's own party. That is what we need--people of integrity to face those with power. I think of only two today--Liz Cheney and Adam Kisinger--who are willing to do that. And willing to sacrifice their careers.
I will cast my vote tomorrow and hope things do not go too bad and integrity wins.

And that is what I hope will be the outcome of this midterm election. That by casting ballots, despite what could be some ugly challenges to voters, integrity will win.