Diversity of Choice

Whether or not you are a Republican or Democrat, living on opposite sides of a red or blue line, if you are over fifty, you've got to be aligned on one issue. America has come a long way, baby, since our generation cast our first ballot. Whoever anticipated that the choice of Presidential contenders would come in almost as many flavors as Haagen Dazs ice cream?

With John McCain's candidacy, the Republicans have given us a home run opportunity to overcome ageism. John McCain is 72, which means that, should he win the presidency, in four years a 76 year-old man will lead our country. If he's reelected for a second term, in eight years we will be celebrating an octogenarian's birthday. In an era where 65 is still considered the age of impending senescence and a bench line for retirement, McCain stands as an example of hope and possibility for all those in their sixties and over whose companies consider them obsolete. For it's still the "young Turks" who tend to get hired instead of those with experience. The former are more often let out to pasture with minimal respect, opportunity or even the once requisite gold watch. Assuming he doesn't become ill or develop Alzheimer's, McCain's candidacy should help break ageism barriers and give age-mates like us a chance to show the world our years are to be honored and should not be taken in vain.

Who would've thought that McCain would choose Sarah Palin as his running mate? A 44 year-old mother of five, the governor of Alaska who started her career in the PTA, a woman who runs her home while still living in the limelight. The true definition of a working mom. She and her husband have always worked with their hands and are portrayed as working class people who have risen as the result of the American dream. She was just a child when the civil rights workers were being murdered in the name of integration. Forty four years later, Sarah Palin stands as a symbol of the wondrous change in America.

Then, we have Hillary. No, she didn't become our presidential candidate. But she did manage make "18 million cracks" in a glass ceiling that will continue to shatter. Hillary is 62 and her energy amazes me. Like her or not, she is a woman who has seasoned well with age. I remember hearing her speak 15 years ago, still hesitant and shrill. As with a great athlete, she has continued to train and practice and become a significantly better politician and speaker than she was in her youth. So, with Hillary we have both a female and an age-mate who exemplifies that aging can be gift to which we aspire.

And finally we have Barack. Forty years ago, I lived through the civil rights movement, marked by such incidents as Arkansas governor Orville Forbus (1955 to 1967) ordering the Arkansas National Guard to stop African American students from attending Little Rock Central High School, and the death of Michael Schwerner and others. At that time, none of us could have fathomed the emergence of a hybrid such as Obama who could have chosen to pass as white, but instead embraced his rich heritage and identified himself as an African American. In this capacity, he has given us the opportunity to vote for him as president of our country.

Though I care passionately about who wins, that is not my point. My awe is how much America has changed in the over 40 years that I've had the privilege to vote. I want my children and grandchildren to understand this sense of history. Our candidates reflect this phenomenal change. It is now possible for anyone, any age, any gender and any ethnic group to consider running for the highest office of this land. And if that is possible in the political stratosphere, just think what the rest of us are capable of. No matter one's ethnic background or age, the opportunity for advancement exists. We are developing what America set out to be: a land of opportunity, where hard work and ability matter, no matter what you look like or how old you may be, and can bring you to the brink of the presidency. What an Amazing country this is.