If you are like me, you are looking forward to November. Thanksgiving? Sure. The seasons of Advent and Christmas? Maybe.
What I am really looking forward to, however, is the end of election season.
I do not know how the campaigns get my email or phone numbers, but as I reply STOP to all the requests for money – locally and nationally – or the emails slamming one side or the other, as we are barraged by the endless news stories about who wants microphones on or off during a debate, and as the constant publishing of polls fails to share any news that is actual news, I find myself longing for the first Wednesday in November.
Of course, my hunch is that nobody will be happy. Unless it is a victory with a margin so vast that no one can dispute it, one side will be elated and the other will quickly move to file motions in court.
I cannot remember when the election season got to be years instead of months, nor do I recall when the money became so great that our poorest neighborhoods could be lifted out of so many issues with one weekend’s haul of donations.
Yet this is country we love, this is the freedom that we share and for which so many have given their lives. This is the reality we have created – a reality as frustrating as it is free.
I just can’t help thinking of all that gets lost in the noise. Distracted by politics, we spend more time talking about the failures of others and not enough time solving problems. Congress seems more interested in investigating their so-called enemies than actually solving any of society’s issues.
Listening to sophomores in college the other day in class, many of them just want the government officials to govern, to stop yelling at and about each other and do their jobs. They want politicians who have ideas, not politicians whose default position is name calling, demeaning, and threatening their opponent. They want people who understand that life issues include abortion, yes, but also a clear understanding that racism, the unhoused, immigration, poverty, healthcare, affordable insurance, and child care are all life issues too. They want a government that cares what happens after the child is born.
These are the youngest voters and I am careful not to stray too much into the weeds. I cannot ask for whom they intend to vote and it would be inappropriate to try to convince them of anything other than following their own conscious. It is clear, however, that they see the failure to speak kindly or to tell the truth as a negative, not an advantage. This is an age that can spot inauthenticity a mile away. They can tell when you are faking it, when you haven’t a clue, or when you care more about me than we.
But, like all adults, they are tired of the noise. They want a government that makes them feel safe, at school and on the road. They want officials who care about public service more than self. They want to be able to find a job, afford a house, and raise their families. And they are tired of the bluster, the corruption, the distractions, and the nonsense. They long to trust their elected officials and keep wondering aloud if this is the best we can do.
Like many of us, these young people, many of whom will vote for the first time, just keep wondering if anyone is listening.
I hope so.