I don’t often write about national politics in this space, but this week, I’m making an exception.

I used to be big into politics, taking a side on every issue — often against the opinions of my own family — and arguing tooth and nail in person or on social media to try to get someone to see a side of an issue they had not previously considered. 

As I get older, now at the seasoned age of 38, I have become less and less interested in national politics for one main reason — it’s an absolute mess.

I was only in 8th grade on Sept. 11, 2001. That day for me, like many, many others across the country, was unlike any other in many of our lifetimes that we’d experienced as a nation. In the aftermath, we largely came together. Partisanship was set aside and, for a time, we were united in a way that is a far, far cry from where we stand today.

Following George W. Bush’s two terms, Barack Obama took office, and the slow descent into madness began. Partisanship again began taking root, and it really started hitting hard after Donald Trump was elected to his first term.

Many people — about four out of five in this county — have voted for Trump each time he has appeared on the ballot. When he first appeared on the scene, I was as interested in his campaign. His brutal honesty, his machismo, his willingness to say things others might not, all of that was attractive at first.

Alas, he lost me midway through that campaign when he made fun of a disabled reporter on stage at one of his rallies. As a journalist, and more importantly a lifelong amputee who had been the target of exactly the same kinds of ableist bullying in my youth, I could not in good conscience support someone who would behave that way on the national stage.

His win over Hillary Clinton also did not surprise me. She had too many skeletons in the closet, too much history and been embedded in politics too long compared to Trump, who offered a new path Republicans and many moderates found much more appealing than another Clinton administration.

Trump’s first term was fine, I suppose. As an Independent frustrated with both parties, the first Trump term and Biden’s one term were about equal to me. Lots of talk, not a lot of action, and very little leadership that truly moved the country forward in a way that benefitted the average American.

As Biden’s term came to a close, when he was still running against Trump in the 2024 election, I felt like we couldn’t get much lower. Neither of those candidates were ones I would be proud to cast a vote for, nor really was Kamala Harris when she took over Biden’s campaign in its dying embers.

As expected, Trump was elected again, and though I’m not a Trump fan, I fully respect that he is the president and he has a job to do.

Unfortunately, going on two years in, things look pretty dire. Inflation has slowed since the Biden era, but the absence of relief to our pocketbooks in the form of health insurance, grocery costs and gas prices, among other costs of living, is not making our lives any easier.

In two months, we have midterm elections, which may have the potential to shake up national politics more than normal. That brings me to my point of this column to begin with — we may as well be at rock bottom.

Last week, at the first-ever National Midterm Republican Convention, the president did two things I never thought I would see. 

First, he made an impossible promise to give American adults $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. Is that where we are? Blatantly, unapologetically attempting to buy votes? 

The saddest part is, many people who don’t know any better — that he made arguably the emptiest campaign promise in modern history — may vote outside of their beliefs and values for a phantom paycheck.

Second, the president encouraged attendees at “Trumpapalooza” to join him in a pledge. Just after saying, “We want honesty in our elections and we want honesty in our country,” he dove into a pledge that almost immediately encouraged attendees to “Cheat like hell, like they do,” and vote whether you are registered or not. And if that wasn’t enough, he followed it up with, “You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell.”

This all makes for great TV, but when if comes to what we should expect from the leader of the free world, we should be appalled. Whether it’s Trump, Biden, Obama, Bush, Clinton, Harris — or anyone else — there’s no place in our nation for this kind of behavior and speech, at least not in the kind of country I hope to live in.

Here’s to the 2028 presidential election and hopefully both parties putting up candidates worthy of receiving votes. May the odds ever be in our favor..

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a four-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].