It’s unofficially the start of summer, and we feel frustrated, helpless and angry. The only happy person seems to be the laughing woman in the Chewbacca mask who became the latest internet sensation and even got to ride to work with James Corden. A recent poll of voters by AP and the NORC Center for Public Affairs says seventy per cent of us say we are frustrated with the presidential race. Over fifty per cent of us say we feel angry and helpless. There is some good news. Sixty five per cent of us say we are interested in the race, and thirteen per cent say we are proud of what’s going on. Although, I think it may be hard to find the proud ones. With all this interest and frustration, can we get more than fifty per cent of eligible voters to actually go to the polls?
How did we get here? My son posed an interesting question. Who would have thought 20 years ago First Lady Hillary Clinton and Manhattan rich guy, casino owner Donald Trump would be running against each other for president some day? Most of us don’t like either Clinton or Trump. Their unfavorable ratings are the highest of any two candidates about to be nominated for president. There are fist fights and police breaking up pro and con Trump demonstators at his rallies. He won’t release his tax returns. Clinton can’t get passed Bernie Sanders. There was a damning report by the State Department about her use of a personal e-mail server while she was Secretary of State. She could possibly be indicted once the FBI is finished its investigation. It seems most of us love to hate these two people.
People call Clinton deceitful and untrustworthy and compare Trump to Hitler. Political conventions have evolved into a prime time commercial for the parties since 1980. Everyone knew who the candidate was going to be, and the parties were coming together around the nominee for the push toward the fall. We could actually get real shows in Philadelphia and Cleveland this summer. Bernie Sanders refuses to go away, and his millions of young followers will want to be heard. Trump predicted riots if the Republican establishment somehow tried to change the rules and deny him the nomination. Well, most have meekly surrendered their outrage and fallen into line behind the wall builder. That doesn’t mean there may not be riots by all those folks who don’t fit into Making America Great Again, and there are many.
Many of the polls show people are so unhappy with the choices. They will be voting against someone, rather than for a candidate. Well, here we are. Somehow, we will be faced with choosing between the two most divisive people in America. They stir great passion among their followers and detractors. We should all be thinking very hard about this choice. They are among the most polar opposite opponents ever to run for president. They present starkly different visions for the country. Right down to who should be allowed in. But, they reflect where we are as a society. They are us. This is what is really causing our discontentment. We should be angry and frustrated that we’ve put ourselves in this position. Our friends and enemies around the world must be saying, “What the hell is going on over there?” Nations get the leaders they deserve. It’s no laughing matter. Even if you put on a Chewbacca mask.
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