Some thoughts on the day before the election

By Dr. Alan Roper…11/3/2008

Why I dread November 5th

The theoretical foundations of the democracy in this country are often blurred during times of media generated fervor and advocacy of a point of view, a degree of advocacy, or support of a candidate. But the basis of this form of governance have strong theoretical foundations that every now and then, need to be recognized. This means, in communities which act by voting, that rule belongs to the majority, as no other method has been found for determining peaceably and legally what is to be deemed the will of a community which is not unanimous. Democracy is supposed to be the product and the guardian both of equality and of liberty, being so consecrated by its relationship to both these precious possessions as to be almost above criticism.

Over the course of several decades, the event of popular elections in this country have degenerated to resemble a raucous sporting event. The American voters not only take polarized positions for their candidate or issue, they develop a vitriolic sense of dislike for the opposing opinion, political party, or candidate. It seems they’ve lost the ability to make a decision without taking sides.

So what happens on November 5th? We’ll have a new president elect, and a candidate that didn’t achieve enough electoral votes to win the election. The part I am not looking forward to is how those who supported the candidate who is not elected will deal with the outcome. I can foresee accusations of voter fraud, racism, manipulation of votes via the electoral process, and worst of all, contempt for those who voted for the other candidate.

Somewhere along the line we lost the concepts and spirit of democracy. For those whose candidate doesn’t win the election, I certainly hope they can still give support to the candidate who did. My fear is that on November 5th we’ll see a country divided, and that we as a nation will be further polarized into an “us and them” collective consciousness. I sincerely hope that the American voters will recognize that even if their candidate didn’t win the election, democracy is supposed to be the product and the guardian both of equality and of liberty.