A Disheartnening View of the Electorate

My Field Trip: Repub v. Dems - And Some MoveOn-ers

Tonight I stopped by a Toledo High School where senate candidates Rob Portman(Rep) and Lee Fisher (Dem) were holding a debate.

I visited with the demonstrators/sign holders out front.

Wearing a blue blazer, wrinkled light cargo pants, and a casual stripped shirt, I first approached the Portman supporters - a group of perhaps 30.

I loudly announced that I was ready to stand with anyone who could recite the preamble to the Constitution, or tell me the six broad goals for government contained in it.

After several minutes, in which a few people asked why anyone should know what was in it, and a self-proclaimed law student announced that there was no need to know the Constitution, one fellow finally came up and quickly recited it. He didn’t seem to be able to actually discuss the significance of those six points.

One fellow suggested that only Tea Party people are interested in the Constitution!

All in all, the Republicans were somewhat befuddled and mildly suspicious, but overall a pleasent enough group.

I then crossed the road to the Fisher supporters, asking the same question.

They were definitely belligerent, and maintained their hostile attitude even after I affirmed I’m a democrat and will be voting for their guy.

All in all, the dems were jerks (or at least the outspoken few.)

I then went to the MoveOn folks. They had mounted a conceptual “protest,” pretending to be corporate high rollers buying the Republican candidate. Cute concept, perhaps, but they were clueless as to why the press folks didn’t approach them.

Altogether, none of the people I spoke with elevated my opinion of the electorate.

If I had to choose a group to hang out with, the MoveOn-ers were kind of like puppy dogs, or maybe deer caught in the headlights- pretty nice, but.... The Republicans were the most engaged on various issues (although they seemed to believe that issues they raised with me could bee answered with a simple, black/white analysis- and they really didn’t like my answer, such as on the union card check question they posed, that I could see good arguments for both sides of the issue. And I really hope the one guy’s idea that the details of Constitution are unimportant isn’t widely held, although that seemed to be the consensus view over on that side.

I simply can’t see myself bending a friendly elbow with the democrats who were there; they apparently jumped to the conclusion that because I was wearing a blazer I am a Republican, even after I explicitly stated my affiliation they maintained their hostile stance.

Bottom line, God bless America - please. As a democracy, we need all of the help we can get....