Three of you will not be able to vote in a presidential election until 2028. Papa does hope that you are nonetheless paying attention this year. If so, you undoubtedly have heard the above phrase bandied about. Wow! I guess someone thinks this election is important. Papa’s first vote in a presidential election was in 1964. LBJ had a commercial with a little girl pulling petals off a daisy with a countdown from 10 to zero; at which point an atomic bomb blew up. Watching that mushroom cloud was scary. The message was clear. A wrong vote meant death.
Apparently the voters in 1964 were paying attention. They didn’t elect some crazed blow up the world candidate. The country was enough on edge; 216 soldiers had already been killed in action in 1964. Cold War was raging. Would not want to make matters worse by electing the wrong candidate. Country ducked disaster. Nevermind that 1965 saw 1.928 Americans die in combat; 6,350 in 1966; 11, 363 in 1967, 16,899 in 1968 and so on.
Every four years voters are told that this is the year of the most important election in history/lifetime/ever. Papa keeps waiting for a politician to claim that the next election is the 4th or 7th most important. However, it is always the election of doom or gloom. Get scared and vote for one or the other. Both political parties are never short on selling fear. Fears that flow right through the voter to the toes is best for getting votes. Who in their right mind would want to vote for a monster? Or, for a candidate who will take all your money, deny you health care/life support and enslave half the population?
When it is your turn to vote use your brain to overcome emotions. Don’t have high expectations for candidates/office holders. Lean a bit on physicians advice, “First do no harm.” Less may be the best first instinct when it comes to government/politicians. And, remember that 2028 will be the most critical vote you will ever cast. For sure. No doubt about it.