I love Presidential elections. It is totally frightening and exhilarating to watch as candidates duke it out in public and everyone tries to figure out if either of them is the right person to lead us. The comedy that results from every faux pas, misstep, misstatement and misguided attempt at behaving like the leader of the free world has only gotten better with time. And now that the whole world can comment on a candidate’s performance via the internet, reading people’s reasons for supporting a particular candidate are fodder for more comedy, and very likely, some tragedy as well.
For example, I watched the coverage of the Al Smith dinner, then logged on to view the posted comments. To think that there were people who may vote based on whether or not one candidate did stand-up better than the other is indicative of the place we are in as a nation and a society. Do I want the leader of the free world to be a funny person? Is it a prerequisite for leadership? It’s good if that person can take a joke, yes, but it is not high on my list of requirements.
Whatever happened to our desire to be led by a person of integrity, balance, and professional demeanor? What happened to our desire to be represented by someone who dealt with serious issues seriously? Why are we attracted by and to the funny and bizarre? Why are we willing to put our hard-won freedoms at risk?
Sadly, the winner will have a total mess on his hands. We can only hope that the Senate and the House are supportive and do what’s right, no matter who winds up in the White House.
