Today is election day, and it has dawned on me that my experience with this election is very different from the experience of many others. Some years ago, Molly and I “cut the cord” and no longer have cable TV. We get our TV from Hulu and other online providers, and we seldom watch live TV or network TV. In fact, while the girls are up, we spend most of our time on watching children’s movies. So, I do not see all of the advertisements that most other people see. The ads that make people feel like taking a shower to get the slime off do not enter my house very often. The election, then, does not seem like as much of a burden as it does to many others.
When people I have talked to others about the election, however, the primary response I get is they will be glad when it is over. If you think about that for a minute, it is a real problem. Imagine telling a citizen Louis XIV’s France they would be given the right to vote and end up hating the run up to the election. Imagine telling that to someone living in North Korea, or the former Soviet Union. They would likely think it was impossible. They would most likely wonder, “How can one turn a treasured gift, the right to vote, into a burden?”
It is easy to find people to blame about this situation. We can blame the press, or the pollsters, or the advertisements, or the candidates. The truth is much closer to home. Have you ever wondered why negative advertisements flood our airwaves even though everyone seems to hate them? The reason is simple. They work. Negative ads, the ones that rely on dubious facts and shadowy funding, move the polls. Positive ads make people feel better about their candidate, but negatives ads are much more effective at changing votes. They are very effective. As long as negative ads work, candidates will use them. Demanding or begging candidates stop using negative ads under these circumstances is pointless. The problem is not with the political professionals, they are using the most effective tool to win the election. The problem is with how we behave. If we want to be rid of negative ads, we have to stop being affected by them.
This particular election season has brought out the worst in some parts of the electorate. Some people are actively cutting off relationships with people who do not share their political views. Some have even cut off family members over their political differences. In my mind this is not just a sign of allowing politics to have an inflated place in one’s mind, it is a sign of immature thinking. Rabbi Edwin Freidman once said if you define yourself and the person you are talking to defines you—either positively or negatively—they are not whole selves. In his words, they are not “self-differentiated.” The phrase “I support candidate X,” should be followed with something like “Me too,” or “I support candidate Y,” or “could you explain that to me.” If the response is more like “You must be crazy if you support candidate X,” then you are dealing with a person who is very uncomfortable with others having differing views on any subject. He or she is not self-defined. As a society, we have gotten very uncomfortable with others having views that differ from our own. If we want our campaign seasons to be less burdensome, we have to get a lot more comfortable with people seeing the world in a different way than we do.
Most disturbingly, this election season has brought violence. There is genuine fear among some in our population that expressing their political opinion will lead to them being harmed. They fear being silenced or “cancelled.” They fear loss of jobs, and they even fear violence being directed toward them. Some have been beaten because of a hat they have worn. Others have had their businesses and homes vandalized. Incidents of violence breed fear, so many are reluctant to discuss politics. This is a deeply troubling trend, and it must stop. Frankly, our elected officials have done a terrible job at stopping the violence. Some have even given it a “wink and nod.” Violence in our political life is completely unacceptable. It must be brought to an end.
This is no way for a great people to do politics. The way we campaign is beneath the dignity of our republic. We can find a way to do better. The solution to our politics, however, is most not likely policy driven. The solution will likely be behavior driven. The solution is found when we as a people decide we want better and will no longer accept the status quo. We can shun negative ads, we can cease the desire to “cancel” others, and we can demand an end to retribution for other’s differing political opinions. We can and should have a campaign season that reflects the greatness of our people. We should accept nothing less.
Today though is a day for voting. If you have not voted, vote. Vote prayerfully, vote your conscience, vote for truth. Vote.
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