Columns

With no Ike, there's no one for her to like

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published November 5, 2006

All those negative television ads we see on TV, all those nasty campaign mailings are a constant reminder to some voters of what's wrong with our politics and why it's time for a change.

Just ask Grace Maloy of Port Richey. She called me this week to vent about the upcoming elections.

She's not a political activist, just a 74-year-old grandmother trying to enjoy retirement.

Without any prompting Maloy talked about her personal political history. The first time she voted was for Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"I felt like I voted for God himself," said Maloy.

Unlike the current occupants of the White House, Ike was a genuine war hero.

Maloy, who has worked for the public health department in St. Petersburg, and taught nursing and elementary school, grew up believing that what was good for business was usually good for the worker. She's a lifelong Republican and always votes that way.

However, for years now, she has felt as if the GOP no longer represents her.

Normally, this is a complaint one hears from lapsed Democrats who have become more conservative as they age, who accuse the party of becoming too liberal. Even now, some Democrats are switching party allegiance over such issues as abortion, gay marriage, tax cuts and national security.

But the Republicans' penchant for socially conservative wedge issues, tax cuts for the wealthy and unquestioning support for a flawed war strategy in Iraq can also have the opposite effect.

"Actually, I'm a moderate in search of a party," Maloy said. She'd love to have a viable third party to vote for. A lot of people would.

Maloy has voted in most elections since she first liked Ike in 1952. But the nasty, negative tone of this mid-term election jeopardizes her voting streak.

She doesn't even want to turn on her television any more; those political ads make her cringe.

There are no Eisenhowers on this year's ballot. That's why she's worried, not just for herself but for the young people. What are they supposed to do with the cynicism and the negativity?

Who in the political realm are the young people supposed to look up to and respect? How can they have faith in our country? she asks.

Maloy spoke with the calmness of someone who has experienced enough to know that we deserve better.

"I think we've lost something," she said. "This is not the America I knew."

Things have been so bad, she said, that she is tempted to vote for incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and write in Mickey Mouse for everyone else.

But that would be a wasted vote. So instead, she plans to vote for change.

She doesn't agree with every thing the Democrats stand for, but she believes in a strong two-party system.

"I will vote to break the stranglehold that the Republicans have on this country," she said.

Some would say amen to that. But others will strongly object. Some might try to change her mind, even at this late hour. But there's every indication that Maloy is expressing a commonly held sentiment.

This country seems in a mood for some sort of change. And that's not such a bad thing

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 4, 2006, 21:59:04]