Oct 29, 2016 4 min read

Is this the best we’ve got? Two presidential candidate both highly disliked by a majority of Americans? How did we get to this point?

If history is a guide, we can go back and see some of the factors. First, go back to 1994 and the “Contract with America,” which asked all newly-elected congressional Republicans to agree to reduce the size of government, lower taxes and a variety of other reforms. This started the “us versus them,” mentality that has blossomed into the polarization we have today. This gave rise to the increased sense of “party before country,” so when President Obama was elected in 2008, the first thing Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said was “We (Republicans) will make him a one-term president!” Since then, both Democrats and Republicans have vilified each other, so Congress is in gridlock.

Media coverage has fueled partisanship in both parties. Thomas Jefferson stated a free press was essential for democracy. However, in Jefferson’s time, and until radio became dominant, there were party newspapers which appealed to partisans on the right or left. So, much like today, we have Fox News and CNN, so rarely do loyal listeners listen to the other side of the debate. A lot of that is because many of us are too lazy to read about detailed plans of policy or reforms. We like those 30-second soundbites telling us what we should believe.

The 2016 election seems to be particularly nasty, but a look at some of our past elections shows that this cycle is not an outlier. In 1800, John Adams’ campaign claimed a vote for Jefferson was a vote against God, and spread stories about Jefferson’s sex life. In 1828, the campaign of Adams’ son, John Quincy Adams, charged that Rachel Jackson, the wife of opponent Andrew Jackson, was guilty of adultery and other sexual misdeeds. The claim of adultery was found to be technically true when Rachel’s first husband said they were divorced when it had, in fact. not been finalized. Rachel Jackson died shortly after her husband had won the election of what many believe to have been a heart attack, but her husband always believed she died of a broken heart and blamed Adams.

Much has been said about the value of experience in this election. Does experience really matter? Hillary Clinton obviously has more policy and governmental experience than Donald Trump, but some would argue that Trump’s business experience is of greater value. History also shows experience isn’t necessarily a strong indicator of success. For example, President James Buchanan – the only president from Pennsylvania – had years of legislative experience, was an ambassador to both Russia and the United Kingdom, and secretary of state before he was elected president in 1856. However, he is judged by many to be our worst president since, as a sympathizer of slavery, he did nothing to stop the oncoming Civil War.

On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of formal schooling, served in Illinois’ legislature and had only one term as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives but he is viewed as our very best president.

So, here we are in 2016. The candidates of the two major parties both widely disliked and not trusted for a variety of reasons. But, here is the good news: In most elections, citizens see through the gossip and fearmongering. The United States has weathered many storms. We are a strong, resilient people who love our country and its freedoms, and even when our leadership fails us, we always seem to persevere. Perhaps that comes from our belief that even though today may appear bleak, tomorrow will be a better day.

Take heart. The sun will come up on Nov. 9 and each of us will go about our daily lives fulfilling our duties as good citizens.

Gary Ford is a Lone Pine resident and a retired teacher who taught political science, civics and government classes in the Mt. Lebanon School District.