November

I think of November as the month where our nation comes together. However, it appears from my side of this essay that after our country came together to vote it was driven apart when some were not pleased with the results of the presidential election.

I am not a historian, only a casual observer and reader, but I do not recall a similar reaction in our nation’s history over the results of a presidential election, even in 1972 when our nation had grown quite weary of the Vietnam War and two polar opposites were running for President. Republican Richard Nixon was running for his second term. He had escalated the United States involvement in the War during his first term.

The Democratic candidate that year was United States Senator George McGovern. Senator McGovern, himself a war hero, strongly opposed our country’s involvement in the war.

My father and older brother, Dan, were almost as opposite, but they both had their birthdays in the same month. In November of 1972, my Dad celebrated his forty-fifth birthday, whereas Dan turned seventeen.

Dad and Dan differed on many subjects, such as musical tastes (especially volume), hairstyle (specifically length), clothes (Dad wore a suit and tie to work and to church, Dan thought jeans were suitable anywhere), and some aspects of the military (Dad was a veteran, Dan was opposed to the draft).

Dan was quite vocal in his support for McGovern, but he was too young to vote, whereas Dad represented the over-thirty crowd and the establishment. He was also a Democrat in the tradition of President Franklin Roosevelt and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Dan later told me that Dad privately acknowledged he had voted for McGovern.

In one of the largest landslides in U.S. history, Nixon defeated McGovern and was elected to a second term. Naturally, there would have been disappointment, but to my knowledge no one broke any windows, burned any flags or blocked traffic simply because their side lost the election.

Certainly there would have been no moping in our house. Dad was not a moper and he had no patience for sore losers. I know Dan was unhappy with the outcome, and it likely fueled his dislike for President Nixon; yet he accepted it.

Here we are forty-five years later, and since both my brother and father are gone, I can only guess how they would have reacted to this year’s presidential election and the protests. I do know though, they both wanted the same things we all want: A country where we are free to worship (in suits or jeans), a country where we are free to express ourselves in music, art and literature, a country where we are free to disagree, and a country where our freedom to do all of this is protected by our military (volunteer or draft is still debatable).

November is a special month. Last week on the 11^th was Veteran’s Day, the day we honor those who served in our military. Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving, the day our nation comes together to count our many blessings.