"An Apple Is An Apple"

Question: How many people can you stuff into a jury box?
Answer: Approximately 186 million, give or take a few hundred thousand – the number of people eligible to vote in the 2000 U.S. Presidential election. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

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Try for just a few minutes to imagine America’s voting pool as a collection of jurors, each of us nestled in our own special observation post. And just as it is a juror’s duty to carefully listen to and weigh evidence presented to him or her at trial, so, too, it is our responsibility, as voters, to observe and sort through the hodgepodge of information being shoved at us during the campaign process. It is not an easy task considering the filters and obstacles placed in our path by political operatives and, unfortunately, all too often by the media outlets themselves.

One common news show scenario looks like this. Let’s say you’re watching a program like, “Meet The Press,” where Tim Russert moderates a seemingly balanced discussion with one person representing the Democratic viewpoint as well someone from the Republican side. Now, if Mr. Russert were to hold up an apple and ask each person, “what kind of fruit is this?” – the Democrat might then smile and rapidly spew out long list of carefully prepared “facts” to convince the viewer that the fruit was actually an orange. Of course the Republican, smirking and sighing as the Democrat presents his or her case, would then respond by doing his or her best to persuade the audience, using a different set of “facts,” that the same piece of fruit was, without question, a pear.

The perfect microcosm of this mini-debate is the James Carville – Mary Matlin spousal schtick. I used to find them amusing and they certainly have the routine down pat. But after watching them on “Meet The Press” a few weeks ago, I clicked off the TV well before their segment was finished. I didn’t need more noise – I craved less.

So where does that leave the average American citizen as they munch bagels and sip coffee each Sunday morning?

A juror’s job often boils down to one very basic question, the answer to which flows from a simple gut feeling: who is telling the truth? Or at the very least, who’s telling more of the truth? So, after the TV or radio is turned off, the paper folded and the computer shut down and you’re taking a break from the noise, ask yourself some basic questions:

How do I feel about the candidate and how he stands on this or that issue?
Is he telling the truth?
Is he speaking from his heart?
Is he an honorable and trustworthy person?
How does he treat people?

How we answer these questions will determine how we pull that lever, push that button, touch that screen or punch that card (all the way through, please) on election day. And it is comforting to know that, at least for one day, a poor eighty-nine year old woman struggling to survive on her monthly social security check has just as much power and influence as the wealthiest corporate CEO. At least for one precious democratic moment the playing field is completely level, no matter how much money is spent by the political machines. At least we hope the field is level and the process fair and free of corruption.

Please vote on November 2. And when you vote, remember this one very simple concept: an apple is an apple. Have the confidence to know it is what you know it to be. Dig deep beneath all the polling information, interviews, clichés, smiles, staged photos and slick ads, all geared to convince us that the apple is an orange or pear when it really is, in fact, simply an apple. And we all know that.

Let’s see how many people we can fit into the jury box this time.

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