So, yesterday something popped up on my Facebook wall from someone I didn’t know, probably a friend of a friend sort of thing. It was a 4th of July meme thing and it said—Chose wisely in November or this might very well be the last time you will be able to celebrate the 4th of July.
STOP! For the love of God, just stop.
This type of political hyperbole is the bane of my existence. It infuriates me what politics has done to us, worse than that it infuriates me that we have given politicians this much power—to turn otherwise rational adults into blithering idiots. This particular poster did not tell us who she or he supports for President, so it could have been either of them. It doesn't matter because in either case this message is complete horseshit. I will here and now declare without equivocation that next July 4th I will celebrate our nation’s independence with great enthusiasm regardless of who wins the election!! And, so will you!!!!!!
Here’s the thing, people. I have been in the financial advisory business for over 4 decades and every Presidential election year its the same old story. Maybe 10% of my clients are what I would call political partisans, the sort of people who are really into politics.(not that there’s anything wrong with that). They are roughly evenly divided by party affiliation. Every election its the same story—“Doug, if candidate A wins this election I’m going to sell everything I have with you because if he/she wins the country is finished!!” I spend days, sometimes weeks talking them off the ledge. Oh, the horror stories I have heard from these folks telling me what was about to befall the country if their candidate loses. The economy was going to be destroyed, religious liberties revoked, gay people dragged from their beds, homeschoolers arrested, and microchips implanted in every brain in America. I have been warned about the nefarious intentions of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Al Gore, Tipper Gore, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. Everyone of these people was going to usher in the four horses of the apocalypse. Oddly enough, the only President and First Lady that got a pass from these folks was George H. W. Bush and Barbara. Go figure. I shouldn’t have to point this out but in none of these cases were the dire predictions true. Not even close! All of these Presidents enjoyed booming stock markets and largely thriving economies.
The question I have always anted to ask these partisans is a simple one…Has any American president in your lifetime had a major negative impact on your life? Here’s my answer—no. Republicans come and Republicans go. Democrats come and Democrats go. My life continues on its merry way, its quality almost entirely dependent upon my actions and my decisions. Do Presidents have any influence? Sure they do. Some policies that have been enacted over the last 40 years have not been my preferred prescription for how to run the country. This is also not to say that politicians cannot do major harm to the pursuit of happiness. They can and do from time to time. But every election year I listen to the dire warnings, I take note of all the people who promise to leave America of so-and-so wins the election but without fail—they never do. Somehow they just can’t bring themself to quit America. And neither will you!!
So, just knock it off with your doom and gloom. This nation has survived much worse than either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. Turn off your TV. Shut down your computer. Go for a walk. I’m betting that there’s another Barbara Bush in our future.
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