This post was all set to publish. Over the month of October, the Intramuralist has recorded every question we’ve seen the media ask in regard to the upcoming election. And believe me; while not every outlet is a frequent employer of the punctuation piece, there have been some excellent questions posed by the media, biased or not. For example…
- Are Harris and Trump Held to Different Standards?
- Can the World Series help us predict who will win the presidential election?
- Did CBS edit their ’60 Minutes’ sit-down interview with Kamala Harris?
- Does Dissatisfaction Signal Change in Washington?
- Do Voters Favor Harris or Trump on the Economy?
- How does a VP debate affect candidate favorability?
- How Will Undecided Voters Affect the Presidential Election?
- What if Joe Biden Was the Better Candidate All Along?
- Want Some Fries With That Big MAGA?
- What would happen if Harris and Trump tie in the Electoral College?
But the challenge in asking the above questions (and more) is that it didn’t feel transparent enough in the season before us. And as one who deeply believes in respect and honor for all people, what questions do I sincerely have?
Sitting here less than a week from election day, what do I wonder? … wanting to enflame no one, talk about the hard, and wrestle honestly with the truth…
My thoughts are not limited to the following, but they go something like this…
- How do persons who’ve justified demeaning entire groups of voters turn around when it’s over and finally respect them?
- What makes a person vote for Trump for the first time this time?
- Why in almost every election since Barry Goldwater in 1964 (before my time — I had to look it up), do the Democrats eventually call the Republican nominee a “fascist”? Is Trump thus significantly different than all those who’ve gone before him?
- Having clearly “moved right” on many positions (with the assumption because the position is significantly more popular, ie. building the border wall, fracking, no more electric vehicle mandates, etc.), if Harris wins, will she follow through on her change in positions?
- If Trump wins, what would he do differently? Would it be more of the same as when he was in office before? Would the economy be better? Would the wars cease?
- If victorious, how would each address the lack of unity in the country?
- If not victorious, would each refrain from enflaming the disappointed and partisan?
- Will each recognize that as close as the polls are, should they win, neither will have a mandate for extreme left/right policy implementation?
- If Harris wins, will she be able to speak more intelligently, articulately and concisely about the issues? Will she continue to have the significant staff turnover she’s experienced as VP?
- If Trump wins, will he put wise people around him, people that he will actually solicit and accept wise counsel from — as opposed to simply those he deems loyal?
- What does Joe Biden think of all this? What do George W. and Laura Bush think?
- As a public, will we realize that many of the initiatives each has promised, they can’t actually do? … as living in a federal democratic republic, there are checks and balances in place preventing some of the populist promises each has made.
- What will happen to us next? Does the polarization calm down? If not, does this give rise to a more prominent third party in the next election cycle?
- How can each of us be more respectful of the person who thinks differently? What would be wise for us individually to do more work to understand?
- And lastly… simply… now what?
I will sleep very well next week. It’s not because I’m not interested or don’t care or don’t care about the people who are so emotionally tied to this more than me. It’s just that this election is very close, and either candidate could win. Either candidate is also in my book extremely flawed; with all due respect, I oft see Trump as a bully and Harris as an actress. I can’t discern with certainly if either is being real with us. But the reality is that my hope and peace is not found in a single person or party. Regardless of who wins, the Intramuralist will continue to advocate for the respect and honor of all people. Regardless of who wins, it is simply not true that “all Harris voters” or “all Trump voters” are _______ (fill-in-whatever-adjective you wish).
The sweeping generalities are untrue. And yes, we can all learn to honor others better and more… regardless of who wins. Hence, my more transparent pondering…
Respectfully…
AR