In case you haven’t noticed, the election is over. Let me re-phrase that. THE ELECTION IS OVER!
Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. As one who both delivers the news, and consumes the news, I am politicked out. I guess I should say, “Thank you, dear candidates for buying all those commercials which help fund my weekly paycheck!”
But the little voice inside my head is saying, “Thank God we don’t have to watch them anymore.”
I grew up in Alabama, so I’m no newcomer to nasty campaigns. George Wallace lost a statewide election in 1958, and soon figured out the other guy out-nastied him. He vowed not to let that happen again, and he never lost another statewide election. In fact, late in life, he apologized for his past behavior, and those he had offended the most helped him win again.
As ugly as those campaigns were, they don’t hold a candle to what we’ve seen lately. Whatever civility we might have developed in the post-Wallace era has been replaced by professional wrestling chair-throwing and name-calling. Some folks blame social media, and it certainly hasn’t helped. But it merely provides a bullhorn for the hatred that was once limited to small gatherings. Back in the day, folks argued face to face, and they usually knew their adversary. Now they fuss, cuss, and post memes against total strangers with made-up names.
Next week, many a Thanksgiving table will host a blessing, a turkey, pumpkin pie, and a political debate. The recipe is simple. The more visitors you have, the less likely it will be that all of them share the same political belief. Since there’s no middle ground these days, all it takes is for one person to say, “Trump is the best president ever,” or “Trump is the biggest crook ever,” and the food fight begins.
Just before the election, President Trump spoke at a Republican rally in Chattanooga. I was among the TV newscasters who covered the event, from “wheels down” to “wheels up.” During the live, three-hour broadcast, I had to talk a lot, perhaps confirming the belief among some that I get paid by the word.
At the end of the broadcast, I checked my messages, via phone, e-mail, and social media. Several nice folks complimented our news coverage, and were thankful they heard every word spoken by the president. Even some who don’t like him expressed their appreciation for the chance to witness history in their hometown.
However, as I told my colleagues prior to the event, you can’t please everyone. Here are excerpts from two messages I received shortly after our broadcast ended.
“Your station is full of —-. How dare you tie up valuable air time by advertising for this awful man. And you, Mr. Carroll made it very clear that you’re Trump’s biggest fan.” Followed by, “I’m so glad your station carried the president’s speech from start to finish. The only downside was your obvious dislike for the man. You just couldn’t hide it, could you? You are small town CNN.”
Also, there were plenty of folks who complained, “You’re only carrying this speech because he’s a Republican.” Much like those who complained in 2013, “You’re only carrying Obama’s speech because he’s a Democrat.” The truth is, ever since we have been able to do live remote broadcasts, we’ve carried every presidential speech in our local viewing area, Republicans and Democrats alike. Trust me, if your Uncle Carl the LIbertarian is our next president and he visits my town, we will cover his speech on live TV.
It reminded me why I generally keep these columns free of politics. You get enough of that elsewhere. Ironically, just days after publishing my column about using YouTube videos to learn how to unclog a toilet, a newspaper editor thanked me for the diversion. He wrote, “I so enjoy the fact that you’re writing about stuff other than politics. Not only is politics itself just nasty, that and the 24-hour news cycle have worked everyone into a frenzy.”
In fact, when I speak to church groups and clubs about my books and local history, I always start with the same line: “You’re about to hear a TV newsman speak for twenty minutes, without ever mentioning Trump, Clinton, Obama, Mitch McConnell, or Nancy Pelosi.” The audience always applauds, and once I even got a standing ovation. (Occasionally I get a standing ovation at the end of my speech. Or maybe they’re just getting up to be first in line at the buffet table.)
So at your upcoming holiday gathering, do what I do. As soon as your loud cousin expresses an opinion that is different from your own, kindly excuse yourself. Tell him the toilet is clogged, and thanks to my recent column, you can fix it yourself.
