If memory serves me well, my first televised Presidential debate was in 1956 when Adlai Stevenson, a Democrat, challenged the incumbent, Republican Dwight Eisenhower. The candidates themselves didn’t debate; rather, their surrogates did: Eleanor Roosevelt for the Democrats and Senator Margaret Chase Smith for the Republicans. I was about 17, and in those days, there wasn’t much for a youngster to watch on TV—the occasional Western after school; my mom watched soap operas while she did the ironing in the living room—so the debate had my attention. My father had no interest in the debates or the election since he did not vote. My mom had either started educating herself for the citizenship exam or had already passed and was a citizen at that point. She read the daily papers, both morning and evening editions, and was informed about the political environment. I recall she cried when FDR died and spoke of him as one would a close relative.
There was little discussion about politics in our family gatherings — usually Friday evenings when we all sat around the dining table for Shabbat dinner. The talk tended to center on how many cars were parked in Dad’s lot. Later, in college, I watched the Nixon-Kennedy debate, and in subsequent years, after getting married and raising two girls, we never missed the Presidential face-offs from Ford-Carter, then Carter-Reagan, Bush-Clinton, and so on. My daughters were never interested in these events. They were influenced by their mother, who was more interested in fashion, style, and architecture than politics.
So it was surprising to me to see my two grandchildren, Lily and William watching the debate between Trump and Harris. In fact, my entire family, albeit at different locations, watched it, with varied takeaways. It was fairly evenly split, with the younger ones favoring Trump while their parents’ generation favored Harris. I find it particularly hard to reckon why my grandchildren, ages 13 and 20, are Trump supporters. Issues that interest the young ones are immigration and the homeless. The fact that they are interested at all is significant to me. I believe taking a position on these issues means that they are having conversations with their contemporaries about political matters. I am certain there is some parental influence but these kids think for themselves. That the younger generation is involved like this bodes well for the future.
I think the process is more important than the conclusion at this point. That my oldest grandchild will vote this year gives her opinion weight. Alexander Hamilton said it well (at least he did in the Broadway show): “You need to be in the room where it happens” if you want to participate in government. That room is your local polling station.