Bridging Time

The balloons are gone, the confetti swept away. Each political party has chosen its presidential slate, and the onus is now on the voters. At this stage of the campaign, there is no presumptive winner. A friend agreed, remarking, "I'm waiting for the debates, and isn't this the greatest election! We can't go wrong, no matter what." She laughed and added, "It's not boring." With broadcasters popping up with fiery rhetoric from all directions this is so true. There is nothing dull about this election - but how will it all play out? What motivates us to vote for one candidate over another? Personality, platform, party preference, or just gut instinct? Who knows. But one thing is clear, there are certainly well-defined differences.

The issues of racism and sexism will influence some people, but what I sense is that beliefs are more important. We're searching our souls, trying to decide which candidate best represents the values we believe in, and who will make this a better country for our children.

We have youth and charisma on both sides, as well as experienced elder statesmen. Different slots, but the same balance. All speak of change. None are settling for the status quo. The differences lie in the manner of accomplishing effective change, and these changes will not depend entirely upon our next president. The newly elected Congress will have a voice in that as well.

It is easy to fall under the spell of appealing candidates, responding to a firm handshake or a twinkle in an eye. I saw this in 1941 when I was hired by the Massachusetts Republican State Committee to help out in the Roosevelt-Wilkie presidential campaign. The campaign office was on Beacon Hill, just down the street from the State House with its golden dome, and what an inspiration that was to a seventeen-year-old on her first honest-to-gosh job. Mine was the lowliest of positions, mostly stuffing envelopes, but I didn't care. I was in the thick of the excitement, often meeting the candidates running for state and national offices. The highlight, however, was the day Wendell Wilkie shook my hand and looked me straight in the eye. I felt his warmth, power, and commitment, and knew I would vote for him were I voting age. His engaging ways convinced me that he was the man to be elected - and when he lost, I was crushed. On television today we see similar engaging mannerisms. We see charming families. We hear choice phrases repeated endlessly in commercials - phrases that become mantras. We hear them from neighbors. From people on the street. During both conventions, I heard many such overdone phrases, but somewhere, through it all, I found a few nuggets that spoke to me.

I am still mulling them over, ferreting out facts from fiction. Like my friend, I intend to listen to the debates and see how well these candidates hold up to their billing, while expecting to have a defining moment when I can say, with a sincere heart, that these are my candidates.

We in America are so blessed. No one is going to come after us with a pistol if we don't vote a specific way. In the privacy of the voting booth, we have absolute freedom to vote our beliefs, and I am confident I will know which way to vote by Election Day.

When the results come in, I will accept the peoples' choices, whether or not they are my own. The battle of the parties will be over. We will have new national leaders as well as local ones. I will pray for them and trust they will do everything in their power to fulfill their promises to us.