Well, this has been an interesting couple of weeks digesting the varied, multimodal platforms that both the Democratic and Republican parties have put out during this unprecedented (we may be un-presidented by the time it's all over!) time. The Democratic ticket of Biden/Harris put out a strong message that carried from start to finish:"We The People". Whether it was the opening anthem, the multitude of demographics represented in both presence on screen or policy change, or just the general plans laid out in the platform, I felt a true spark of hope light up watching proceedings. Hearing the children's choir the first night breathing new life into the Preamble, we walked hand in hand with the speakers through to former President Obama in Philadelphia delivering a thoughtful, powerful, and direct message while standing in front of the words carved by immigrant hands into a precious monument. You could feel the hustle from (R) Gov. Kasich from rural Ohio, to (D) Sen. Elizabeth Warren in a classroom with blocks lined up "B L M". The race is on.
On the flip-side, a polar opposite message was brought forward on the first night of the RNC with the resounding sound clip from Pres. Trump ringing out: "I alone can save us." While to many, this kind of message may feel like a huge relief, a weight off of shoulders, I think that unfortunately, it is just not how I see the beauty of America. It is hard to send a resounding, rallying cry "from sea to shining sea" when the person in power believes that is the best, maybe only, approach. Speeches from Trump family members, a former player of the league that Trump ran, and subsequently bankrupted, and "the Goya Bean guy" did not inspire as much hope for me, despite going in with as open a mind as I could allow.
This year, please...let us all celebrate the first 100 years of female voting as a right AND responsibility. People before us, people with us still, fought for this right, yet only half of eligible American voters turned out for the 2016 election. We must bebetter. You can still vote by mail. Better yet, order your mail-in ballot, and drop it in the postal box yourself right outside your board of elections.
What an amazing way to begin a mission statement of a country: "We the People."
Prepare, don't panic,
-Allison
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