I have a tendency to get worked up at election time.
This year, I did a pretty good job of staying cool, calm, and collected.
The best way to do this is by not watching TV — which I did not do for several weeks.
Then, about a week ago, I posted this little video on my Facebook.
I thought it was funny, but it garnered some harsh, emotional opposition.
Thus began the phase of me getting “worked up.”
I wrote a blog, and the response to that got a little personal.
What’s going on!
I know. I know. Don’t talk about politics or religion.
But news, weather, and sports should be okay. These days, politics is news and news is politics — at the expense of real, consequential news.
But these tea party folks aren’t looking for a discussion. They’re looking for a fight. Many of them, it seems, just discovered the U.S. Constitution.
It makes me nostalgic for the day, prior to the Bush-Gore election, when the world wide web was much younger, when I tried to teach a 5th grade class a lesson on the electoral college.
I had the computer hooked up to a big TV, so you could see the red and blue states and click on Florida once for blue, and again for red.
This was fancy technology at the time — which was the point of the lesson. I was demonstrating for teachers how the internet could be used, along with a TV, in the classroom.
As I began explaining that Presidents were elected by an electoral college, state by state, the classroom teachers eyes glazed over. After a short time, they interrupted me to say that this material wasn’t important and that the children weren’t interested.
They were right. Nobody was interested. Until a few weeks later when we all got a huge civics lesson.
Now, it seems, it’s gotten crazy. We’re all too interested. And some of the novice politicos don’t have the best manners.
I remember handing out pamphlets for McGovern, and then going to Nixon’s inauguration.
Win or lose, it was all quite interesting — but it was more respectful.
On my blog, I wasn’t sure whether or not to approve the comments or delete them. I approved and argued that people can respectfully disagree without getting…well…nasty.
Then, in order to feel a little better, I moseyed down to the Democratic headquarters and made a few GOTV phone calls.
And watched a bit more TV.
And blogged again…
And watched more TV.
But, in order to get myself back on track, I took a long walk today with my dog — out in nature. It was quite beautiful out there, with only the sounds of leaves and breeze and geese. I noticed that geese love to talk to me, but when I answer, it seems to throw them off. They get quiet.
And I started humming one of my favorite songs: “The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends.”
This made me feel great — but a little old.