Election Day...Three

We’re in day three of the elections. It was predicted that the count would last several days. While we all knew it was coming, I think the assumption was that it wouldn’t be as painful as what we’re experiencing – that we’d have a better idea of the direction in which things were going. At the time I’m writing this, the result is still anyone’s guess. I read on Twitter this morning a woman bragged that she grew up in Brazil where they could know the results of the elections within a few hours after the polls closed. Another woman responded by saying, “I grew up in Lebanon. We knew the results even before the polls opened.”

I suppose this would all be a lot more fun if the stakes were not so high. There’s a feeling that whichever side you’re on, your world (particularly in the US but not exclusively) will change in fundamentally different ways. I called my mom last night and she said that on election day she went to buy some groceries. The woman at the check-out said that they were inundated with shoppers earlier in the day loading up on supplies in the case that Biden would win the election. They had heard on social media that there would be chaos if Democrats took the White House.

It would be easy to poke fun at people that are so easily manipulated by conspiracies but there is obviously a dangerous element to this. I have some experience in managing situations where there are angry people with weapons. It usually doesn’t end well. I used to say, if you think lots of guns and small government are the best way to run a society, come to Burundi and you’ll change your mind. I’m not necessarily a fan of big government but I do believe that the lower tiers of society need to be adequately cared for, particularly in the areas of health care and education. And no, that’s not socialism. It's agonizing to hear politicians throwing that word around without having an understanding of what it is.

“Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism.” -Earl Warren, former Chief Justice, US Supreme Court (1891-1974)

And it’s not a concept that should be embedded in any specific political party platform. It’s simply what a society should do for its citizens, like the fire department or the police department, and politics should be focused on other things.

“To blame the poor for subsisting on welfare has no justice unless we are also willing to judge every rich member of society by how productive he or she is. Taken individual by individual, it is likely that there's more idleness and abuse of government favors among the economically privileged than among the ranks of the disadvantaged.” -Norman Mailer, author (1923-2007)

I’m still stunned that Christians in America, the bulk of the president’s supporters, seem to disregard Christ’s teaching on advocating for the poor or the refugee: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

I do believe leaders will be held accountable for misleading their constituents but I also believe people are responsible for their own actions. Many of the poor and disadvantaged in the US are supporting a president that is actively harming their own well being. It boggles the mind. Jesus never mentioned gay marriage or abortion. He said blessed are the peacemakers. This afternoon I’m hearing about Trump supporters threatening violence against polling stations, including the Pennsylvania Convention Center where election votes are being cast. Christians are either among those who are doing the threatening or they are silent. It’s an abomination.

“When wealth is passed off as merit, bad luck is seen as bad character. This is how ideologues justify punishing the sick and the poor. But poverty is neither a crime nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live.” -Sarah Kendzior, journalist and author (b. 1978) 

Regardless of how this comes out, it will be a tough road ahead. The president has gone full African dictator and the sheeple in Congress and supporters around the country seem unwilling to denounce anything he says or does. The psychological grip he has on supporters is surreal. Will the elections be the snap of the fingers that awakens people from the hypnosis? Will people muster the integrity to critically evaluate the actions of even the leaders they support? Will people recognize the cognitive dissonance between what they say they believe and what they do in practice? Sadly, most will not. But if enough people with integrity rise up, maybe, just maybe, the country can regain its footing. Regardless, it will be a bumpy ride ahead.