November 5, 2024
On what One Daily Link hopes to achieve...
An overarching goal of this site — the overarching goal — is to help readers see the best in the opposing party’s supporters, no matter which party that is. As I said yesterday, the other side isn’t populated by Bond villains and lemmings. People have their reasons for voting and unless their stated reason is to abort every fetus or to bring about the end of the republic, those people deserve the benefit of the doubt. Of course, we can all think of someone in our lives in the opposing party who’s a bit extreme. It’s easy to hold them up as representative of the opposition. If we think hard enough, though, I’m sure we can also think of someone in our own party who is extreme and whom we really, desperately don’t want representing us. That goes double for politicians and pundits.
Which leads me to this, and which I’ve said previously and don’t know how to put any better: the people I know rather than the politicians I don’t have become the faces of the parties for me. When I think of Republicans, I think of my mom and lifelong best friends from childhood who are all, to a person, phenomenal parents and leaders and citizens. When I think of Democrats, I think of my aunt and cousin and lifelong best friends from college who are also, to a person, phenomenal parents and leaders and citizens.
This has been a long campaign season. It will be over soon. I don’t know who’s going to win (though I have a guess). I do know, however, that despite all the Washington vitriol and cable news nonsense, the overwhelming majority of voters will cast their votes in good faith. That’s a comfort to me.
In a bit of kismet, today’s link is a follow-up to yesterday’s, which was written nearly ten months ago. I had no idea this piece was coming when I posted what is now Part One, but here you are: another check-in with those politically homeless voters and where they stand today. Happy Election Day.