Election Concerns—Many Voices
Diversity is a loaded word these days. But looking beyond the cliché, our election concerns' contributors light up this post—all male voices from whom geographic, cultural and generational diversity abounds. As ever, we are thankful for their insights!
Election Concerns—Many Voices
What Are You Swinging for This November 3rd?
By Rusty Cohen, Jose Hernández Lopez and Bruce Kahn
Rusty Cohen lives in San Francisco, CA, and is a LWVDC member’s sibling.
I am sitting in my living room in San Francisco looking out the window, can hardly see across the street, the smoke is everywhere. I have been reading about global warming for 50 years and unfortunately what the scientific community has been warning of uncontrolled fires and droughts. Well? I think some people were hoping we had time to lessen the killing of our planet. Looking out my window I think it is too late. I will vote for the party that will work on protecting our planet—vote for climate.
Jose Hernández Lopez is a permanent resident of the United States and the parent of a LWVDC member.
I came to this country in 1953 from Mexico because I wanted to explore new opportunities. Even before moving here, I was so interested in U.S. politics and as a boy, my father and I listened to news about what was happening in the United States. We Mexicans always looked up to the United States, a country of wealth and opportunity. When I came here, I applied for permanent resident status, so all these years, I have been able to work and live in the United States, but I could not vote because I never became a citizen. And now, at the age of 93, I’m so sorry to see what is happening in the United States. It’s sad to see so much conflict. I’m afraid that we are losing our democracy. Can I say that? “Our democracy,” even though I am not a citizen. I don’t know. But I was married to an American woman for 42 years, raised my family here, I paid taxes, I have always felt such affection for this country. So now, with all that is happening, it’s frustrating for me because I cannot vote. But that is why I think it’s so important for those people who can vote to actually do so. Those people who can vote need to protect democracy for all of us.
Bruce Kahn is a LWVDC member and spouse of a LWVDC member.
Typically, the choices in general elections are clear cut and the decision is fairly easy to make. The platforms of the Republican and Democratic candidates are very different on technology/science/the environment, and economic or social problems. Their policy proposals have to align with mine 80% or more for me to select them. The real meat of the election for me is in the primaries where the candidates may indeed share some or most of my views. The difficulty is in collecting enough information about their positions and layering that into my evaluation of whether they have the skills to turn their position into policies. Once I feel comfortable that I have enough information, I make my voting decision.
Special Note: Don’t forget to register for our upcoming virtual forum, Check Your Ballot for Climate, Tuesday, October 13, 7 pm. You can register here.
Would you like to be notified by email when the latest weekly Swinging for the Fences blog post is available? Sign up here! Subscribers to Climate Corner are already signed up.
If you receive blog posts by email, our system automatically inserts “by Brook Soltvedt.” Brook is the webmaster, not the author of the blog.