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The first time I voted in a national election was in 1984. I was 18 years old and felt a strong sense of pride in casting my first vote as an adult-ish American. My political knowledge lacked much sense of left vs right, liberal vs conservative, and I was far more consumed with current events including movies like “The Terminator,” “Ghostbusters” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and songs such as “Jump,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “Legs.”

Even though I had studied government my senior year in high school, I was still oblivious to the picket fence that separated the two major political parties. That picket fence no longer exists today, it is now a 30-foot concrete wall with barbed wire, landmines and a moat providing a grand separation between the two major political parties. Every debate, political talk show and Thanksgiving dinner now begins with the words “choose your weapon.” Most of us enjoy a good political discussion amongst friends, family, colleagues and even a few strangers, but those conversations seem to be drifting more toward a ticking time bomb nowadays. 

The 1984 election race, of course, included the vibrant incumbent, Ronald Reagan and the stoic statesman Walter Mondale. The real race was the Democratic primary between Mondale, Gary Hart and Jessie Jackson. As I recall, the 1984 presidential election was the most important in history. And then, there was the George H. W. Bush race against Michael Dukakis which was the most important election in history, followed by the Bush and Bill Clinton race which was the most important in history……… do I need to continue?  I think it’s safe to say the next election will always be the most important no matter who is running.

As I mentioned in a column a few months ago, cable “news” has lent a hand in the polarization of American politics with its biased reporting and now we are doing battle with artificial intelligence (AI) and the fake videos being blasted all over social media. It’s almost to the point that we can no longer trust any video we see on our phone or laptop. Images and audio are easily faked, and actual occurrences cannot be confirmed nor denied until well after they have already taken root in thorough discussion and shared through a plethora of social posts. Much of this deceitful activity is homegrown and causes self-inflicted wounds. We also know bad players outside of the United States continue to shower Americans with inaccurate information affecting how we vote and steer our conversations with one another.  It’s no wonder that polarization exists in our political arena with all the falsehoods competing with our good sense of judgment.

For me, I have tried to incorporate my voting decisions, even more now than ever, through a wide spectrum of media outlets including broadcast TV, public radio and reputable national newspapers. I need to do my due diligence to learn the facts and seek the truth before I vote.  Why? Because, after all, this is the most important election ever.