I have been thinking about the great divide we currently have in this country. That divide seems to grow larger with every presidential election. I am old enough to remember every election from Harry Truman to today’s president, President Biden. In the last two presidential election seasons, the divide seems to be growing and I suspect it is because of foreign influences. For instance, we know both China and Russia are trying to influence the election of our next president. They obviously want a president who is more likely to treat them favorably or at very least not to be very negative towards them.
According to released information from our spy agencies, both China and Russia are very actively trying to influence the election by using Internet. Russia seems to be much more effective in their propaganda efforts then China. Russia has a culture much closer to ours and their propaganda rings truer than China’s. That shouldn’t be surprising because Russia has more European culture than China.
The recent kerfuffle about a doctor specializing in diseases such as Parkinson’s had visited the White House is a great example of Russia using its influence via the social networks on the Internet. Everyone who visits the White House and also sees the president is entered into a log. It’s believed Russia became aware of the doctor. Russia’s sensed that bit of information could be used to aid the presidential campaign Russia felt was most favorable to them. We are lucky in this campaign to have two candidates that have been a president before. If you think back to President Trump’s years in the White House, you can see how Russia would consider him much more beneficial to them that President Biden.
It’s clear to me that we should try to limit the influences of countries outside the United States on our presidential elections. Why? Let me share you one bit of information about the presidential campaign of President Eisenhower and the then Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson. One of the more famous campaign buttons that President Eisenhower’s campaign used was the phrase, “I like Ike.” There was a great deal of white space on those campaign buttons below the phrase, “I like Ike.” Someone in the school I was attending added a phrase below the “I like Ike” so that the campaign button read “I like Ike, but I also like shit.” That did not go over too well with the Eisenhower supporters and a number of fistfights erupted in the school. That shows you the intensity of the presidential campaigns in the 1950s. Clearly there was no chance for any country to easily influence presidential elections.
It seems we treat the presidential candidate we support with great fervor. That great fervor is an important part of our democracy. We can’t let it be changed by some foreign adversary.
