A 68-year-old Republican and Me
Just bear with me a moment and close your eyes…okay wait don’t close your eyes you need to read this…so just imagine…okay ready? Good. You’re sitting at an airport with 15 gates total, in the middle of Trump country, surrounded by people wearing their masks snugly under their chin, like a beard, without covering their mouths or noses so they technically fall within what is required of them. You’re tapping away on your laptop completing fundraising spread sheets, sending call lists, and writing blog posts, when you feel someone watching you. Looking diagonally across, you see an older gentleman in baggy worn denim jeans and a large green windbreaker. A very well-loved Harley Davidson shirt graces his torso with a large American Eagle plastered below the neckline like a horrible chest piece. His clothes are all fairly baggy and that along with his body type, implies he’s lost a decent amount of weight recently, but hasn’t invested in a new wardrobe. He seems like someone who views clothing as a superfluous commodity.
He’s watching you closely and nods at your laptop which has several “We Want Joe!” and “Biden/Harris” stickers. Your heart starts to race. Oh no. You look like the ultimate liberal snowflake with a bandana in your hair, a floral mask, a shirt that has a large peace sign and reads “Come Together We are Better Together,” Birkenstocks, a new sunflower tattoo on the inside of your right wrist, large buttons on your bag that read “Defy the Dictator” and “Pass the ERA!” Why, oh why, do you have to be so obnoxiously granola?!
You prepare yourself for an ignorant statement, an accusation, a confrontation. Instead you are the ignorant one. You find yourself stupefied as the man says,
“I like your stickers little lady. I’ve lived 68 years and voted Republican every time, but I just can’t bring myself to do it this time. I lost my son because of this nonsense and I blame him. I blame Trump. He doesn’t care about us.”
Confused, you nod your head and agree saying how sorry you are. His boarding group is called, he rises, grabs his things, gives you a curt nod, and heads off, leaving you with a heavy heart and guilty conscience.
This is exactly what happened to me as I departed Illinois after visiting family. In this moment, I realized how ignorant I was in assuming anything about this man. This man whose family has suffered from loss, whose experience is no less than my own, whose ideas and passions are just as important as everyone else’s. I quickly jotted down his words so I wouldn’t forget them, but I knew they’d be burned into my memory forever. I often question my faith and religious institutions, but this moment felt so divinely inspired and I could not be more grateful for having experienced it.
This election has to unify us again. We’ve lost the humanity of our nation. This is no longer about policy, ideology, or parties. This is about restoring decency and respect to the White House. Our election was and is being manipulated by foreign governments (fully proven by the FBI). World leaders laugh and mock us (this SNL skit is unfortunately painfully accurate). We are the lowest of the low. This election is about being truly human; to have compassion; to have empathy. To have the ability to step outside oneself and understand the world from another’s point of view. This is not the moment to be divisive. This is an opportunity to love and be loved. We have to restore humanity to the White House. This is no longer about Washington insiders or donors or corporations.
This is potentially the most consequential election of all time for a plethora of reasons regarding policy, human rights, and foreign affairs but I ask you to set all of that aside for a moment. When you go to the polls think about who you would want to sit at your dining room table. When you go to the polls think about who understands grief. When you go to the polls think about all the families who will celebrate Christmas isolated from their loved ones. When you go the polls think about all the people who no longer have a beloved friend because a fatal virus was turned into a political anti-science ploy. This is on us to make America what we know it to be.
This is not the America any of us want, but we have the choice to make it one that embodies compassion, love, and strength. Can you honestly look at these last 4 years and be proud of what’s been said and done? Can you honestly look at these last 4 years and be okay with the vulgar and inhumane language used on the national stage? I beg you to think. We have too much to lose for you to be a single-issue voter or prideful. Vote for the person who will make America whole again. Vote for the person who knows what it’s like to lose a son. Vote for someone who can understand the 68-year-old Republican who changed my perspective. Vote for the person who will make America compassionate again.
