Some Random Thoughts on Another Election Day in the U.S.A.

Last updated on: November 3, 2020 at 5:55 pm by Roger E. Olson

Some Random Thoughts on Another Election Day in the U.S.A. 2020-11-03T17:55:56-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Get Involved | The White House

It’s November 3, 2020, another major election day in America. This day comes around every four years; every four years, on the first Tuesday of November, we, American citizens, elect our president and some members of our Congress. (Senators serve for six years.) This is probably the most tense election day I can remember, although I remember others that were also tense. But there are new elements of tension today and leading up to today. And no doubt, whoever wins, some of these tensions with remain afterwards.

My first memory of a presidential election is of the televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon. Nixon, of course, had served as vice president under Eisenhower for eight years. He was a well-known politician tainted by hints of scandal. Kennedy was a U.S. senator, young, attractive, very chic and very personable. But he was Roman Catholic; no Catholic had ever been elected president of the U.S.

I watched the debate with my parents in our living room. We didn’t own a television (for religious reasons) so I assume we borrowed or rented one. Back in those days it was easy and common to rent a television. It was, of course, black and white and very grainy. Even so, I could easily see the dark shadow on Nixon’s face, the later much talked-about “five o’clock shadow” that made him look a bit scary. Nixon was tense; Kennedy was relaxed. I clearly remember that at one point in the debate Nixon said into the camera “What we need to do is get rid of the farmers! Uh, I mean get rid of the farm surpluses.” We all laughed, but my parents were frightened by his poor performance because they were very frightened of Kennedy. My stepmother swore that if Kennedy became president there would never be another Protestant president and the pope would run the country. Many conservative Protestants felt the same way.

Kennedy won. Life went on. You know the rest of the story.

*Sidebar: The opinions expressed here are my own (or those of the guest writer); I do not speak for any other person, group or organization; nor do I imply that the opinions expressed here reflect those of any other person, group or organization unless I say so specifically. Before commenting read the entire post and the “Note to commenters” at its end.*

I remember the Johnson versus Goldwater campaign and election and how tense that was. I well recall the television commercials for Goldwater that said “In your heart you know he’s right” and the ones for Johnson that showed a little girl picking flowers with her head turned slightly to see a mushroom cloud (nuclear explosion) behind her. The caption contained a quote from Goldwater: “Extremism in the cause of liberty is no vice.” I saw that on a friend’s family’s television. My parents saw it also. Back in those days people often gathered at others’ houses to watch television, play games, talk.

Johnson won, the Vietnam War proceeded badly, I worried about being drafted and sent to Vietnam. It didn’t happen.

Then came the horrible presidential campaign and election of 1968 with rioting in Chicago during the Democratic Party Convention. If people think 2020 has been strange, they probably didn’t live through 1968! There was rioting all over the U.S. Also assassinations of prominent people.

Then came Watergate and Nixon’s resignation. A huge sigh of relief went up with the end of the Vietnam War and the succession of Gerald Ford to the presidency—the only man to serve as U.S. president never elected to office as either president or vice president.

Then, later, came the shocking election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency. He was a movie star who became governor of California and was famous for being a fiscal conservative—in a fairly extreme way. As governor of California he had abolished tuition free higher education and as president he abolished free higher education for veterans—which all veterans considered an entitlement. Reagan’s victory over Jimmy Carter wasn’t a total surprise but a great shock to many people.

The following presidential elections weren’t especially tense—up until George W. Bush’s second election in which the Supreme Court had to decide that he would get Florida’s electoral college votes instead of them going to his opponent Vice President Al Gore.

Obama’s victory was surprising to many people and especially his victory over popular Republican senator McCain. Most people chalked that up to McCain’s unwise choice of running mate.

So, I have lived through very tense presidential elections before but never any one where an incumbent president threatened not to concede should he lose the election and where serious people talked seriously about the possibility of a sitting president refusing to vacate the White House should he lose the election. And I have never, in my lifetime, heard rumors of riots and civil unrest should the sitting president lose the election. So this is a new one for me. And it’s very unsettling.

I am asking myself what has gone wrong in America—that we have thugs attacking people campaigning for their candidate’s opponent? I have never before seen or heard of such viciousness during presidential debates as during this 2020 presidential campaign. There is something “in the air” that is deeply disturbing, some popular and widespread hatred of fellow Americans only for legitimate, mainstream political opinions and loyalties.

I very much want to see and hear Christian and other religious leaders calling on everyone to take a deep breath, step back, reflect on the civility that is required for democracy to work, and especially pray for God’s mercy on us all, to quell our fears and calm our passions.

*Note to commenters: This blog is not a discussion board; please respond with a question or comment only to me. If you do not share my evangelical Christian perspective (very broadly defined), feel free to ask a question for clarification, but know that this is not a space for debating incommensurate perspectives/worldviews. In any case, know that there is no guarantee that your question or comment will be posted by the moderator or answered by the writer. If you hope for your question or comment to appear here and be answered or responded to, make sure it is civil, respectful, and “on topic.” Do not comment if you have not read the entire post and do not misrepresent what it says. Keep any comment (including questions) to minimal length; do not post essays, sermons or testimonies here. Do not post links to internet sites here. This is a space for expressions of the blogger’s (or guest writers’) opinions and constructive dialogue among evangelical Christians (very broadly defined).

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 31, 2020

Are "Patriot Churches" Real Churches?

Next Post

November 6, 2020 What Is a "Miracle?"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I wanted a vineyard so badly that my wife arranged the owner's death through false witnesses. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Ahab Jezebel Naboth