This is a true vignette that happened yesterday.
My wife had deposited me at a Macdonalds while she ran an errand. This Macdonalds was in the village of Brooksville, Florida, and was the "hangout" of the elderly in the area. My booth was directly behind one in whch three very old "ladies" sat, vehemently discussing the present election. They talked loudly, and I could hear every word: the subject of the conversation was whom to vote for, or the choice between Obama and McCain. With these three Southern women, the problem was mainly eighty years of racial discrimination.
The conversation went something like this, with the title,"What Americans want in a Presidential candidate."
Number one old lady: "I don't like that John McCain, he looks mean and unstable. But the other one is black, and they associate with all kinds of people."
Number two old lady: "I agree that McCain is a baddie..amd LOOK at that creature he has chosen for a running-mate; I had a granddaughter that screeched like she does."
Number three old lady:"You two don't know what you are talking about. That Obama is an educated man and knows what he is doing. But can anybody clean up the mess we are in?"
At this point, I had finished my Big Breakfast, and I got up and asked the three ladies(I am a man of 84 years) if I could join them. They allowed me to sit down in the fourth position after a little barter. They explained that all three were in a local nursing home, all three had lost their husbands some years ago, and their respective ages were 80, 86, and 90. There was little difference in their neat appeances excepting the fact that they appeared very healthy and able for their ages. They admitted me to their group as I was a member of the Age Fraternity/Sorority.
I posed the question that I had overheard them discussing: the race bit about Obama. I asked what do you know about him? It appeared that none of the three had really absorbed any real information about Barack Obama but had absorbed a lot about McCain and most of the McCain information was quasi-military. All three departed husbands had served in the military in World War II but were not professional military persons like McCain.
The youngest,at eighty, asked me,WHOM are you voting for?" I replied that I had early-voted on October 20 for Obama, and that after a long investigation and much sober thought. I added that I was afraid of the age and sharp temper and instability of McCain, and that to my civilian mind, in spite of my own military experience in WWII, was to be wary of anyone military as military people existed for wars, and would seek them out, whether we needed them or not, like a rabbit might always seek out carrots.
The next question was aked by number 2, the worrier about race. "Why do you like Obama?"
I detailed Obama's educational background...that I was impressed by his Harvard grades and accomplishments and the fact that he had edited the Harvard Law Review was extremely impressive to me as it indicated an extraordinary quick mind, etc.
ALL THREE exclaimed that they had not known these facts.
We continued to discuss the pros and cons, and finally our conversation came down to what we Americans want in a President: integrity, strength, honesty, intelligence, knowing ones self.
Pretty much, all three of the ladies and myself, we decided that Obama had those four attributes, and though PERHAPS honesty was one of McCain's good points, he was too volatile and ill-tempered to risk him as a president who might continue us in a war and maybe start another one for us in Iran.
I walked the three out to their car, which I noted was a new one and driven by the 90 year old.
As they got in, I got a hug from the 90 year old driver, and a whispered comment ignored by the other two: "I am going to vote for that Obama and I think I can get those two to do so also!"