By coincidence I just started reading Henry Holzer's new book, "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter" in anticipation of hearing Mr. Holzer speak at the Lincoln Forum later this month. We are also going to be fortunate enough to have Mr. Holzer speak at NJHS in June of next year.
The book begins with election day 1860 which is certainly timely for today's national referendum. According to the book there was an 82% turn out of eligible voters in that historic election. That's hard to believe on any level, but especially considering that Lincoln didn't appear on the ballot in almost every Southern state.
Reading and thinking about this made me think of the first presidential election day and night that I really remember - the 1960 election between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. I was 14 years old, didn't have any real political opinions and certainly didn't have the generally liberal outlook that I have had for many years. My parents were staunch Republicans who after eight years of Eisenhower were shocked and greatly disappointed by the result.
I thought of that disappointment today when I noticed a number of blogs/e-mails from (I assume) liberals saying that if Obama is not elected that they are planning on moving to Canada or some other location. I am sure that some that is said in jest, but in 40 years of voting in Presidential elections that kind of thought has never crossed my mind. And I say that having been on the losing side more often than not.
Which brings me back to the 1860 election, the one time in American history a significant number of people decided to vote with their feet when they "lost" the election. If we think this election in that context, I hope we can see how shortsighted such thinking is. If we believe in democracy then we have to believe in it regardless of whether we like the result or not. On that level, I would hope that we could see that comments about moving to Canada if the "wrong" person wins are as inconsistent with the values of our nation as they were almost 150 years ago.
The book begins with election day 1860 which is certainly timely for today's national referendum. According to the book there was an 82% turn out of eligible voters in that historic election. That's hard to believe on any level, but especially considering that Lincoln didn't appear on the ballot in almost every Southern state.
Reading and thinking about this made me think of the first presidential election day and night that I really remember - the 1960 election between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. I was 14 years old, didn't have any real political opinions and certainly didn't have the generally liberal outlook that I have had for many years. My parents were staunch Republicans who after eight years of Eisenhower were shocked and greatly disappointed by the result.
I thought of that disappointment today when I noticed a number of blogs/e-mails from (I assume) liberals saying that if Obama is not elected that they are planning on moving to Canada or some other location. I am sure that some that is said in jest, but in 40 years of voting in Presidential elections that kind of thought has never crossed my mind. And I say that having been on the losing side more often than not.
Which brings me back to the 1860 election, the one time in American history a significant number of people decided to vote with their feet when they "lost" the election. If we think this election in that context, I hope we can see how shortsighted such thinking is. If we believe in democracy then we have to believe in it regardless of whether we like the result or not. On that level, I would hope that we could see that comments about moving to Canada if the "wrong" person wins are as inconsistent with the values of our nation as they were almost 150 years ago.
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