I’ve been taking a break from writing this summer as I enjoy the pool, time with the grandkids, learning pickleball with my husband, working on my jewelry and painting creations, and of course holding down a full time job that I am so fortunate to be able to do from my home. 

Wow, that was a long sentence.

I hadn’t planned on taking a hiatus, but it just sort of happened. Until now, that is.

Now, I feel compelled to write about what’s on my mind now, because if I don’t, who will say what I want to say in the way I feel it needs to be said?

I used to be a political person back many years ago. I thought it was fascinating. I liked the statesmanship. Watching our political leaders act like professionals in their chosen careers. Or so I thought.

I remember when these men and women spoke with dignity, addressing their colleagues and opponents alike with respect. They were role models. People we could be proud of.

What happened? And why?

The political climate today is anything but dignified, except for a select few individuals who still remember their manners and professionalism. But sadly most of those people are out of the picture now.

And they have been replaced by some of the most obnoxious, arrogant, and self serving individuals I’ve ever seen. Political clowns who take pride in spewing forth venom, putting their opponents down by name calling, lying, bullying, and spewing forth unproven innuendos and conspiracy theories to a public who’s heard it so much it’s become commonplace and acceptable.

Which it should never be. 

Many of them seem to do this because everybody else does, which doesn’t make it right. It’s not right to make fun of people, call them names, insult the differently abled in our society, or profess hate because of someone’s skin color, religious views, country of origin, age, or who they love or what gender they are. If they don’t agree with that person, then that person is evil and deserving of all the nastiness that can be thrown at them.

This isn’t right. It’s not who we are as Americans, or at least it didn’t use to be. It’s not who we should ever aspire to be.

We should be better than that. Some are. Many more are not.

 Like millions of Americans I watched and listened to the political news over the past two days. I was saddened to hear about President Biden’s decision to not seek re-election. I’m sure it was a very difficult decision for a man with his decades of service who loves his country and the American people, but it was his decision and we should respect the reasons he did it, which were not because he’s too old, or senile as many love to say (how derogatory is that!?), but that he determined it was time to pass the baton, and maybe, just maybe, he’d decided he’d had enough of this rat race and wanted to enjoy this time of his life in peace with his family, relaxing and writing his memoirs. 

Who can blame him in this nasty political climate in which we find ourselves?

Like many others, I have mixed emotions about his decision, because I truly believe he is a good man, a good president, and worthy of the country’s respect.

I am also appalled by the comments from the opposition to him. Awful comments ranging from saying “wait til Joe finds out he resigned”, or “now all the ballots the Democrats had already printed and filled in have the wrong name on them” or conspiracy theories saying he’s really already dead and they’re hiding it from us. And then there are the lawsuits being threatened by the other side to prevent him from making his decision, and saying that the party can’t make this decision and change their minds. Is that because they don’t want to run against the woman who’s poised to be the nominee?

And the name calling against the new potential nominee has already started. Almost as soon as Joe Biden made his announcement. And I am absolutely appalled at the statement made by one of the candidates calling Ms. Harris a childless angry cat lady who has never had a child. Obviously this person has no idea what he is talking about and especially has no right to question why or why a woman did not have children. As a woman who struggled with infertility for years and was finally able to have a child with the help of medical science, I find this unconscionable, especially realizing that I would have been called the same thing had my situation been different. It is not any of our business why a woman has or does not have children; it is not our business to judge a woman on that basis, and I will also add that she has stepchildren that she loves. That does not make her less of a person; we should never judge women on how many children they have or do not have, because it is no one’s business but her own.

As an American, I am so tired of it all. And personally, I will never vote for someone who is constantly doing nothing but name calling, accusing, bullying,  lying to us, and promoting conspiracy theories until we can’t even keep up with the latest one. Because it’s not the way we’re supposed to do things. 

I may be in the minority, but that’s my decision. And I hope others agree. Let’s bring some dignity back to our political system before we lose it entirely.