EPIPHANY OF THE DAY

 STEREOTYPES

Interesting day yesterday was. A sitting president finishing his first term and actively campaigning for a second ended his effort. He endorsed his vice-president who is female and of a mixed-race heritage. Most Americans know little about her other than her party affiliation.

That’s all that matters to many.

For the sake of argument, we might for a moment consider that she is, in fact, the chosen candidate to run for the seat in November.

How will the press stereotype her?

The press does that. It stereotyped Gerald Ford as a harmless, but clumsy, nobody when he tripped exiting Air Force One.

It stereotyped Jimmy Carter as a clueless, hardheaded outsider.

It stereotyped Ronald Reagan as America's favorite old uncle.

It stereotyped Bus the Elder as America's rich uncle, but invisible.

It stereotyped Bill Clinton as a lovable rogue. (Yes, they do get close on occasion.)

It stereotyped Bush Jr. as a cowboy. (Go figure.)

It stereotyped Barrack Obama as cool, except in the South. The South viewed him differently.

And Joe Biden as dottery.

Then there was the one who defied stereotyping, one who simply, like a pinball, bounced from one display of idiocy and malevolence to another so quickly that labels didn’t stick.

Now what?

An angry woman out to avenge her sex?

A liberal icon who will sacrifice the future of working families in order to protect the least of those among us?

An accidental president?

A surprise?

A sheep among wolves?

It would be a simple matter of speculation if the future of our planet didn’t depend upon it.