The dread of an election year

Hey, did you know 2024 is a presidential election year? Just kidding. We know you know it’s an election year. How could you not? It’s everywhere.
Election years have become so angry, so divisive, so off-putting. We aren’t looking forward to it at all. It will really start to ratchet up in May as we head to primary season, when all of the Republican candidates will attack each other and call each names like toddlers on the playground, only to all fall in line once the election is over, like nothing ever happened.
Then will come the fall.
The rhetoric and vitriol will likely become unbearable as the general election nears. That’s because America has never been more divided than it is right now, particularly when it comes to politics, and even more specifically, the lunatic fringe of both the Republican and Democratic party. Oh for the days of friendly, cordial political discourse.
There are no clean hands on either side of the aisle when it comes to the degeneration of politics in this country. It makes us sad, and it makes us shake our head. It also makes us wonder if these are really the best candidates a country of 332 million people can produce. But really, what normal, decent person would want to run for President of the United States? Simply because of a letter— R or D—behind your name, millions upon millions instantly hate you. They don’t know a thing about you other than your political party.  That’s good enough for them. They’ll spend the next four years of their lives calling you names and creating memes for Facebook that denigrate you. Respecting the Office of the President is long gone. We doubt whether it’s ever coming back.
In general, the race to the bottom in American politics hasn’t really hit us in the local races, and for that we are thankful. Serving in office can be quite a thankless job, and we are thankful for the city council members, county commissioners, etc., who give of their time to help serve on local boards. The best kind of election is the kind that are bipartisan. It’s no coincidence that elections that don’t deal with political parties don’t get nearly as ugly as elections with those letters behind their names.
It’s with this in mind that we plea for calm this election season. Someone is going to win, and someone is going to lose. Groups of people will claim they’re leaving the country. Groups of people will claim the election is rigged. Groups of people will claim democracy as we know it because XYZ won the election. It won’t be the case, and we’ll do it all over again in four years.
Here’s to hoping for deceny this election season. We won’t hold our breath. That seems to have left with the best candidates.