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Life before talking heads

From George Washington who couldn’t tell a lie, to Donald Trump who can’t tell the truth. What’s happened to our country? What’s happened is that the voters have changed.

I was born when Herbert Hoover was president. I’ve lived through fourteen presidents and Trump. I’ve tried to analyze why voters have deviated from electing a person of impeccable values like Washington to a “snake oil” con man like Trump.

Thinking back to the 1930s and 1940s when I grew up, there was no instant news, no email, no texting and actually, few people even had radios. Politics and events made up the continual conversations between family, friends and neighbors. Even us kids talked politics. The commentators, or “talking heads,” weren’t around yet to interpret everything we heard. We actually figured things out for ourselves. We had to think for ourselves.

Then of course living through World War II made us strong patriots who valued our country and paid close attention to it.

I used to be able to predict election outcomes pretty accurately. Now I can’t second guess voters. Do I miss the voters of “yesterday”? You bet do!

Sally Jackson

Spokane



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