How To Survive ‘The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime’

For months we have been hearing that the 2024 presidential election is “the most important one in our lifetime.”

Pundits have been saying it.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been saying it.

Former President Donald Trump has been saying it.

Disregard what the pundits say. What they say is just their opinions, nothing more,

But for Kamala Harris, it really might be “the most important one in our lifetime” - for her. Because if she loses the election she might never get another shot at the presidency.

For former President Donald Trump, it also really might be “the most important one in our lifetime” - for him. Because if he loses the election he’ll likely be spending the remainder of his life in court rooms appealing jury verdicts against him.

It's also “the most important one in our lifetime.” for all the people who depend upon the president for their employment, but probably not for you or me.

Based on their actions, it also might be “the most important one in our lifetime” for anti-abortion fanatics, who oppose the right of women to choose and for pro choicers, who oppose what the anti-abortion fanatics propose.

But for the rest of us, as important as the coming election is, it’s not the most important event in our lifetime.  If it is, I suggest that you get a life.

As Election Day grows closer, ‘the most important one in our lifetime” claims will become even more ubiquitous than it is now. 

Suggestions on 'How  To Survive The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime’

Don’t become stressed out by the actions of ‘the most important one in our lifetime” fanatics. Doing so can affect your well being. Some medical providers say that continued stress can worsen a minor heart problem. Others say it won’t. But why take a chance. But what is not disputable is that talking like a fanatic about political issues can result in your losing long-time friends, and disrupt family gatherings. (And no normal person wants that to happen, unless you’re tired of longtime friends and members of your family.) Do not talk politics with friends, family members (especially your spouse), neighbors, acquaintances or any other member of the human race. Never discuss politics at work. In fact, never discuss politics anywhere. It’s okay to talk about it with your cat or dog. But if you think they’re answering you, you’ve got a problem.

Do not tune in the cable TV political shows. Getting political news from the three major networks are ok. Getting political news from a major respected newspaper is okay, but don’t read the opinion columnists. Ignore any political news on social media. Ignore political ads on TV. On Election Day, don’t take it seriously when a pundit reports on a candidate’s team’s internal polling results. Internal polling is often slanted in the candidate’s favor, and do you really think that a candidate’s team would release bad results early in the evening?

Don’t take seriously any tweets from Donald Trump, which might include, “a rigged election,” or a victory statement. (You might not know it, but he’s been known to occasionally lie.) Don’t take seriously commentary from election historians, because what happened in 2016 or 1816 has nothing to do with the reasons people are voting as they are today. 

If you are a Harris backer and she is ahead during the wee morning hours of election night do not rejoice by getting drunk. You may not be able to celebrate her victory the next morning, and medical experts say that drinking alcoholic products are a contributing factor to people getting cancer. If you’re a Trump supporter and the voting is going against him, do not attempt to drown your sorrows with a cocktail of Lysol and Clorox, even if you think you have Covid. You might never be able to drown your sorrows again.

If you’re a Democrat, do not watch Fox News. If you’re a Republican, do not watch MSNBC. If you don’t care who wins watch ESPN.

Best of all do not watch any TV on election night. Election Day can be especially stressful for people who feel the end is near if their candidate loses. So here’s what I suggest you do (or try to do) if you fit into that category.

Do not stay up all night listening to the voting results. Instead, go to bed. When you wake up in the morning if you look out the window, you’ll notice that it’s either a sunny, cloudy, snowy or rainy day. You’ll also notice that nothing has changed. (For change to happen, you’ll have to wait until the new president is inaugurated. And if the winner isn’t the one you voted for, chill out. There will be another chance for you to vote for the losing candidate in four years.)

Normally, at the end of each column I tell how the subject of my essay applies to people in our business. But not today. Instead, I’m going to suggest several days that a PR person should not pitch the media: 

The days before and the days of major holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, because many news outlets are short staffed on those days. Presidential Election Days are different. I would avoid pitching for three days (instead of two) - the day prior to Election Day, on Election Day and the day after the election. No explanation needed if you read a newspaper or tune into the news shows on those days. The news budget for non-election stories shrinks dramatically as the space normally allotted to political news expands. And even pitches that at other times might be well received might never be opened because on those days many non-political journalists might be drafted to help with the election coverage.

Of course, there’s a sure to work solution that will assure you never get stressed out about politics: Don’t follow it and never vote.  Then, when the elected candidate messes up you can truthfully say, “Don’t blame me. I didn’t vote.”