What Has Happened to Our Election Process?

During the past decade we have seen a deterioration not only in our political discourse, but also in our sense of the validity of our election process. Demands for recounts, legal action in response to an election, claims of voter suppression, international conspiracies, changes in the Electoral College and more have made many Americans tired and disillusioned with the election process. The politicians seem to look for ways to get around election results which reject them and their programs. It was suggested to Richard Nixon after his loss to JFK that he demand legal action due to the late results from Illinois which all but cost him the Presidency, but Nixon refused because of the harm he believed such action would cause the country. Today’s politicians do not seem to have such qualms or concerns about the moral fiber of the country. The attached article, while pointing out the actions of one political party should make us think of the cost to all of us when politicians of any party seem to lack faith and confidence in our Constitution and our political process. We need to demand that politicians of either party put the welfare of our nation above their own personal quest for power. The first step in such a movement though is for each of us to accept that our side may not always win, that we may not always agree with the political agenda of the winner or agree with the winner’s policies or personality and get on with life. Fortunately there is another election in just a few months! If you do not agree with the outcome of an election, don’t pout and stamp your foot, but work with a sense of purpose and dignity to insure that your candidate and agenda will be viewed as better for the nation as a whole. As you read the article, forget the party being cited and instead think of the impact of actions like those cited have on our sense of national identity and unity. They should make you cringe. No one likes to lose, but we need to restore a sense of dignity and belief in our electoral process.