The special uniqueness of Election 2024

There are two types of American presidential elections: 2024 and all the others. All have been unique in some way, but 2024 stands out.

My mother advised against worrying about things you can’t change, and I always practice preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Both strategies might work before a root-canal or traffic court appearance. Unprecedented global circumstances require more.

There have been three such occurrences during my life. Your doomsday event list is just as valid as mine, but for me, the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination and Y2K qualify as wake-up call level events. The first two left my parents and teachers speechless. I was in fifth grade and seeing my elders not have answers for possible nuclear war or losing our president was sobering.

By 2000, I was an adult with some “life goes on” experience, but Y2K even had our IT departments guessing — a sure sign of potential peril.

Country singer Brandon Davis has a song, “Pray Like Hell.” Not a bad fallback plan when grownups, computer gurus and government leaders draw blanks — which brings us to Election 2024.

Have you noticed that every presidential election is our “most important” one ever? Several, including Johnson vs. Goldwater (1964), Nixon vs. McGovern (1972) and Reagan vs Mondale (1984) were “There’s-never-been-a-clearer-choice” contests. Maybe, but I never went to bed on those election nights wondering if democracy would endure.

America would have survived Goldwater, McGovern and Mondale presidencies. We’d go to work the next day and gripe or rejoice with our co-workers over the results. Water cooler chat would return to more pressing matters like the office football pool.

Politicians and voters used to brush themselves off when the dust cleared, shake hands and try to find common ground. Can we still do that?

Jim Newton

Itasca