ELECTION: Glimmer of hope

For two years, while being appalled at the president’s behavior and constant lying, I have been ambivalent about how to react to him; resist? Hope for the best? Wallow in self-pity?

I have tried to discern why people continue to support him when his lying is so obvious and his behavior reflects so poorly on our nation. I have, intermittently, chalked it up to single-issue voting, to the need for those whose voices have not been heard to finally be heard, or to plain old ignorance or some combination of all of those.

In the meantime, because the divisions in our nation that existed when he came into office have grown even greater, I worried about the possible dissolution of our democracy. My ultimate response has been to put my faith in the inevitable swing of the historical pendulum. That created some comfort but I was left with some sadness about the vulnerability of our democracy and for those elements in our nation that have been by-passed by societal developments, including those with whom I have little in common except for being Americans.

I could go on about what those differences are and to which groups I’m referring, but the one thought that is uppermost in my mind is how nice it would be if political winners really did govern for all Americans, at least for most of them, rather than only their own supporters. Call me naive. I’ll call it HOPEFUL.

MORTON KRAUS

Coeur d’Alene