I Wasn't Really into Politics
I really wasn't into politics for most of my life.
What I remember about politics was that Mama believed in voting for the man,
not the party. Growing up almost everyone in my hometown were registered Democrat
because there was some reason that had to do with voting in the primaries. I
don’t know why to this day. But, in my idealistic 18-year-old brain I thought
there should be a balance, so I registered Republican. And voted for Nixon! I
worked at the poles and embroidered an elephant on my bell-bottomed blue jeans.
Daddy defended Nixon through the whole Watergate thing, so I did too. I had no
clue what it was all about. I don’t remember Mama voicing an opinion. She didn’t
believe in arguing politics. It was forbidden at the dinner table.
Fast forward past my young adult self.
My husband was a union member and a shop-steward. He helped campaign for
Kennedy. Our garage held stacks of yard signs and bumper stickers. He preached
that the Democrats were for the working man. I didn’t share his enthusiasm for
Mr. Kennedy, and I don’t even remember who I voted for.
I don’t remember who I voted for
during the next decades. When I moved away from home and registered in my new
county I registered as unaffiliated and that has not changed. I hear
mama’s voice in my head, “vote for the man.” And like her, my faith plays a big
part in my choices.
My apathy changed when I listened
to Barack Obama on the Oprah Winfrey Show. What caught my attention was his
profession of faith in Jesus as his savior. I’d heard almost all politicians speak
of having faith in God, but Obama was specific about his faith. Next time I
heard him speak was at the DNC. For the first time since I was eighteen, I said
yes when a volunteer called me and asked me to help with the campaign. I have
voted for the Democratic candidate ever since.
Here we are with two choices in
2024. Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris. Again, I hear my mama’s voice, “vote for
the man.” Of course, she had no idea a woman would one day be running. I believe
she would choose the woman. Not because of her party, but because of her faith.
You can see it at work in her works.
I would have voted for Biden had
that been my choice. I worried about his health, though. And the debate worried
me even more. I kept praying Trump would not win and asked God to take care of
us. I didn’t know much of anything about Kamala Harris, but when Biden dropped
out, I believed she was the best choice under the circumstances.
Well, it didn’t take long before
I believed she was who really cared about our country. She cares about
people like me, like my grandchildren and my great grandchildren. She’s smart,
can handle herself under pressure, she feels love for others. I’ve watched her
speeches, her visits to small businesses while on her campaign trail and I
believe in her. Yes, I know those drop in visits to small businesses are
planned and the purpose is to show us she’s about the middle-class citizens of
the country. But her warm reactions to people who want selfies with her and who
want to share their concerns with her are real. I can see it in her eyes and
her smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpTCweo0tCQ
And I watched her debate with
Trump. She was the one on the right-hand side of the stage who actually behaved
like presidential material. I knew from the start she would win. She has a
lifetime of experience in the courts winning debates. Her opponent’s lies and
insults never rattled her. She won the contest hands down. With confidence and
grace.
So, here I am at nearly 78 years
old learning politics is really important. No other time in my life has
it been so important. We are about to show the world what we are made of. What our
values are. Will we let a man of very low degree, a criminal, a sexual
predator, a man who is only seeking power for himself, a man who will sell us
out for “thirty pieces of silver” be in the White House again? If so, shame on
us.
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