Remember the famous quote from Mark Twain, “The report of my death is an exaggeration”? Well so too were the reports about Stockbridge. There is no great divide in Stockbridge.
According to the Town Clerk Terri Iemolini:
- There are 1,643 registered voters in Stockbridge
- 793 are unenrolled (Independents), 703 are Democrats, 135 are Republicans, and 12 are from other parties
- On average, 417 vote
- Fewer vote in an off year, that is, a year when there is no national election
- The number of votes separating the winner and the loser can be fewer than 100
In May 2023, 672 folks voted. According to Iemolini, “That is the most people voting in memory. The closest election in recent history is 2015 with 608 voters. So, very impressive!”
The vote for the top job was 490 to 186. The number of votes separating the two was just over 300. That is not a great divide; that is a firm decision.
The stuff that led to misunderstanding about a dramatic division in the village is like the stuff that led to the reports of Twain’s death. Twain went to Europe and the rumors started; assumptions were made. While in Europe, Twain received a letter from a reporter explaining that more and more people were believing the rumors that Twain went to Europe for his health. Since he had not returned, it was assumed that he must be getting worse. Obviously, since he did not return, his health must be deteriorating. If you accept the false premise, it is logical that he must be dying.
In fact, Twain (Samuel Clemens of Springfield, Mass.) went to Europe for his financial health. He was flat broke and hoped a book and lecture tour would resuscitate his personal finances. Not wanting to express all that, Twain replied to the reporter’s letter with the actual quote: “The report of my death is an exaggeration.”
Similarly, in Stockbridge, theories were floated. Some were accepted as fact, and the “great divide” was born. Makes good copy but a bad fact pattern. If a false premise is accepted as true, then the conclusion is obvious. The great divide was accepted—it just wasn’t true. Stockbridge is not divided. We voted together in historically high numbers. We know what we want and where we want to go, and we are heading down the road together.
Some false premises that lead to obvious but incorrect conclusions are more dangerous than others. Alleging someone won an election—who actually lost by seven million votes or more—led to violence at our Capitol. Fancy slogans interrupt careful deliberation. False and foolish allegations about “the other” lead to fear and bad laws.
Just wondering, how much of the lunacy that invaded our national politics trickled down? Afterall, one man won the presidency talking like a junkyard dog. Winning is a persuasive argument in favor of certain behaviors. So how much of that poor behavior—lying, half-truths, rumor mongering, conspiracy theories, name-calling, and ad hominem attacks—trickled down to us?
The myth of division is sweeping our nation, but election after election proves the reports of the division are greatly exaggerated. What we have is a loud and militant minority, not a divided majority. We consistently vote to uphold our rights, perpetuate democracy, follow the law, and oust the wild talkers.
At the same time, we have allowed pockets of minority rule. In Florida, the governor created laws that suppress the vote and allow one person to ban a book. We all know that’s not right. We all recognize minority rule. Even the folks in Florida that allowed it pushed back when they saw an example in which one person out of a population of 21 million banned a book—one controlling what others could read. One ruling over 21 million is the antithesis of democracy. Majority rules in this country. In this country, our rights cannot be abridged without due process or consensus reached in a sane and orderly process.
We will vote right every time. Even Trump never “won.” In 2016 or 2020, Trump never received a majority of the votes. The problem is between elections. We must be aware of the tactics of those who really don’t care what we think. We have to recognize their tactics and push back quickly and decisively against those who want their own way at the expense of others.
Approaching our 300th anniversary, Stockbridge will continue as we started all those years ago. We never aimed to win the messaging war. We are just down-home Yankees rolling up our sleeves. Governing doesn’t take the clever turn of the phrase or the quick put down; governing takes a whole different set of skills.
America doesn’t need “spin,” misdirection, or shocking assertions. Plain speaking and polite discourse create solid decisions. That is the hallmark of America and Americans, and look at what we made. So, ignore the false rumors and smart but empty phrases of those who seek to bamboozle and rule. We ain’t perfect yet—maybe not close. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and keep going—election to election and all the days in between—in the right direction.
