Sitting on a Bench

It was a warm afternoon, but the bench was in the shade.  I found it a nice place to rest, while my wife shopped for whatever Belks had for her.  Time passed, I crossed over to Panera for a lemonade.  When I returned, another had taken my seat, but there was room for two, so I joined him.

There we were, two strangers sitting with one shared experience.  Both our wives were in the store helping the economy.  We struck up a conversation and found although we were strangers there was a commonality.  He was from Indiana, vacationing here on the Emerald Coast.  He and his wife had arrived the day before and we talked about the traffic, the weather, how are children were, and the joy of shopping.  Soon, as is often the case these days, the conversation shifted to the state of politics in the nation. 

This stranger shared he was from “flyover country” and became a Trump supporter when Ms. Clinton and the DNC chose to condemn those between the coasts as “deplorable.”  I was a bit surprised when he said he would never vote for another Democrat regardless of who they were or who was running against them, but it was obvious he felt strongly about this. 

It is also obvious, at least to us, how little the DNC recognizes, or cares about, the men and women from the part of our nation known as our bread basket.  This is shown in the decisions they have made in selecting their leadership, and the language they now use to rally their activists.

He asked if I had heard who won the election in Montana for the representative at large position.  I said the Republican, despite his assault of a reporter, and noted the democrats were claiming this as a victory because they lost by less than experts had predicted.  Somehow in the twisted world of partisan politics a loss can be a win if you choose to view it as such.

In 18-months we will again go to the polls to return our representatives and one third of our senators to Congress.  The DNC and their propagandists in the mainstream media, are sure there will be a reckoning for the current crop of republican politicians.  Neither my new acquaintance nor I are convinced that will happen.  What we are sure of is the division between the urban elite and poor, and the rural citizens who make up the backbone of the nation will continue to grow.

Too soon his wife emerged and took him home, and I was left to snooze in the shade.