Where is the dark horse?

Where is the dark horse?

In my safe liberal bubble where I try to balance being informed with avoiding the headlines, I keep waiting for sane and sage words to come out of some unknown's mouth. From either side of the aisle. I'm looking for the Jimmy Carter of today, or even a Gary Hart, for someone articulate and wise to kind of come from nowhere.

In my election fantasy this far out from the actual election, there are no debates, no frontrunners and millions have not already been raised or spent. Instead voters and the media are holding those currently in office accountable for getting things done and those in an elected office are working on the tough issues. Together. And getting things done. Now.

Growing up in a Republican household of the 1950s, I had a rhinestone I Like Ike pin. Well, my mother did and I got to wear it for dress up. I think she got it from a precinct volunteer who stayed with me while she went to vote. That's my earliest election memory – me left with a stranger in the house because voting is important. My second memory is the form letter (although I didn't know that's what it was at the time) I received from Richard Nixon in response to my condolence note when he lost the 1960 election. I'm hoping that was a school assignment. That election also taught me that families can be divided over candidates.

Regular readers may be reminded that I can rant and rave over the 24/7/365 news media that gives too many people an extended 15 minutes. A name in a headline, a clip on a news program lends a certain legitimacy to a person or an event. I know It's a hard balance for reporters to uncover news vs. pseudo-news and when and how to let readers and viewers know what is important. Our time is taken with so much non-news it's harder still to get and keep our attention.

This week we have heard this week some absurd suggestions. But I see a potential positive. All of the racist comments about and actions toward candidate and then President Obama were shocking and disturbing, but somehow remained surface and never generated a meaningful national debate. Perhaps we will go deeper to our root collective fears of the different, the other, and discover the commonality of humanity. Perhaps there will be meaningful dialogue around the water cooler, in the classroom, and yes, in the news. 

At the beginning I said I am trying to balance being informed while avoiding the headlines. I also need to balance my inner skeptic with my hope that there will be positive steps made while I'm still around to see them. As someone with one ancestor who was a founder of Hartford, CT and another who was hung as a witch in the early days of our country, I say that we need actions that begin to take down rather than strengthen the barriers that divide us all in so many ways. In this growing extended election cycle we seem to have an opportunity to do that. Fingers crossed.

Marilyn