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Given our current obsession with respect to the “age” of both our presidential candidates, I am reminded of what actress Billie Burke rightly said: “Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese.” Assuming both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are not constructed of cheese, should we not turn our attention to “how” both candidates would address vital issues of importance to all citizens of this nation?
More specifically, should we not generally ask who is the most decent, who would defend the U.S. Constitution, who would uphold law and order, who would support equal rights for everyone, who has demonstrated a desire to find solutions to reducing the effects of climate change/global warming, and who would defend democracies around the world?
Maybe In the end, the only relevant/straightforward question to ask is: Which of the two candidates would you want your child to emulate? To be a truth-teller or a serial liar; follow the law or be a convicted felon; treat people with respect or swindle them; be narcissistic or have empathy for others?
Therefore, instead of trying to completely understand complicated national/international issues, just simply ask — of the two candidates, who possesses qualities our child should incorporate and, thereafter, utilize in their daily lives? There is only one candidate your child should emulate, but you must personally “research” who this candidate “really is,” and not be influenced by media pundits. By relying solely upon your own moral compass, I think you will easily select the correct candidate.
John M. Mishler
Harpswell