Americans need their thinking caps to solve the riddle of the 2024 election 

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When I was a kid—maybe 7 years old—there was an expression that was commonly used: “Put on your thinking cap!” Today, we probably use just the simple imperative: “Think!”

I remember sitting in my 2nd-grade class one day when the principal entered the classroom. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him, but he definitely carried an air of importance. Miss Jacobsen introduced him: “This is Mr. Bjornson,” she noted, “and he’s the principal of our school.”

Mr. Bjornson took a moment to address my class. “Good morning, kids,” he smiled widely as he spoke, “How are you today?”

The class suddenly had a collective look of confusion, and none of us were sure if we were to accept the question as a mere greeting, or whether it required our response. Timidity ruled the moment. After an uncomfortable pause, a few kids got the right idea: “Fine, thank you,” they replied, and ended their response with “Sir.”

“I have a riddle for you,” winked the principal, “so it’s time to put on your thinking caps. You’re all familiar with basic weights and measures? Each of you probably knows your height in inches, and my best guess is that you all know how much you weigh. So, here’s the riddle: Who can tell me which weighs more—a pound of steel or a pound of feathers?”

Sharp as always, I raised my hand without hesitation; he motioned for me to speak. I rose to my feet with pride—Mr. Bjornson would praise my fine intellect, and Miss Jacobsen would swell with pride at having such a smart student.

I answered confidently, “A pound of steel.”

But no kudos followed. Instead, the principal took the time to tell me I was wrong, then elaborated with a concise explanation of why:

“A pound of feathers may fill a whole dump truck, but it weighs exactly the same as a pound of steel, even though the steel takes a lot less space.”

I understood immediately, and I shrunk into my chair thinking, “How could I have been so stupid!” From then on, when someone prefaced a question with “This is a riddle,” I would understand the principle of the “intellectual ambush,” and I’d never again be the first kid to raise his hand.

So much for life’s lessons—which gets me to the tricky problem of the 2024 presidential elections. Overall, U.S. citizens have at least an average IQ, but hasty decisions—based on how a candidate smiles, the quality of the candidate’s juicy stories, use of smokescreens and Bibles in convincing you that you’re on the same team, or one’s own personal preference for a Double Windsor-knotted necktie over a simpler once-over—should not be providing the basis for your vote. Sadly, such impressions are often the illusions that pitch us into our political camps and end our rational thinking.

The question of what candidate deserves our vote is definitely a riddle. It is exactly that sort of intellectual ambush that inclines the spontaneous voter to make a choice. Avoiding knee-jerk reactions and selections based on gut instincts should be very much on our minds.

Most of all, we must remember what happened the last time we entrusted the Oval Office to the untrustworthy. And to some extent, that may apply to both former President Donald Trump and our present leader, Joe Biden. It’s easy to believe that one is OK, and the other is bad. Certainly, both have been disappointments for the public trust, but one has done so with a bit more aplomb. Neither has been a stellar banner-bearer for the American people.

Nevertheless, each of us must don our thinking cap and review which of them did better. For instance, Trump did considerable damage to our traditional alliances with Europe, was boldly supportive of the most autocratic world leaders, flagrantly supported fossil energy’s mammoth corporations and, essentially, fed the earth’s environmental rehabilitation to the lions. And let’s not forget, he refused to concede his 2020 loss and supported a spectacle that endangered our nation.

Biden hasn’t been perfect either. While working to repair our European alliances and making firm commitments to Ukraine and Israel, he somehow lost his moral high-ground, allowing a corrupt, U.S.-backed Israeli regime to massacre 30,000 Palestinians on his watch. Biden is trying to correct that now, but there’s no way to reverse the carnage. Akin to those situations, he’s consistently ducked the war powers of Congress, making his own decisions on unauthorized shows of U.S. military might. Also, a bit in the wake of Trump, Biden has further undermined the freedom and the credibility of the press: One of the greatest challenges to our citizens is that even some of the best news organizations have bent their coverage—just a bit—to present the official narrative. Naughty, naughty.

And then there’s illegal immigration. Biden can claim no kudos there.

There’s never been a time when so much was resting on voters making wise decisions. One of the biggest problems is that it really is a trick question, and jumping to conclusions is a very unsafe way to proceed.

Americans face a real dilemma—or is it? Some are saying that whoever prevails, it will make little difference. That reasoning eludes me. Choose an uncouth, foul-mouthed, purely-dishonest scoundrel—with personally-declared aspirations of making our country an autocracy—or re-elect a more palatable sort, who still believes in our democracy but is deeply entrenched in the age-old entanglements with big-money and powerful political lobbies.

Put on your thinking caps, Americans. This isn’t just about the candidates, their personal abilities, personalities and character. It’s about how the successful candidate will influence and protect the fundamental soundness of American democracy.

I assume we all agree: The more information we can gather to make sensible choices for whom we’ll place our vote, the more likely our country will be to prosper, grow and avoid catastrophic errors.

Our country is still feeling the effects of the non-thinking, shoot-from-the-hip, to-hell-with-the-law scoundrel who commandeered our country and nearly toppled its Constitution. That said, Biden is far from perfect. But remember, he was left with the task of how to repair much of his predecessor’s stupidest moves. Think about what’s happening in Israel. It’s a good example of how bad American leadership can be influential in shaping the policies of other despotic regimes.

Trump encouraged Netanyahu to allow, endorse and encourage the Zionist theft of Palestinian lands. At worst, his promotion of Israel’s aggression in Gaza and the West Bank, was at least partially responsible for Arab anger and the vicious Hamas attack of October 7, the slaughter of around 30,000 Palestinians, and now, a regional destabilization of a land that has always been a warehouse of fireworks waiting for a match. That’s just one example of how thoughtlessly elected leadership can hurt our world and kill our people.

Put on your thinking caps, folks. Look at multiple sources. Weigh the evidence. Make a responsible choice on which candidate you’ll support and maybe, just maybe, our country will survive and thrive.

The author is a retired businessman, novelist, columnist and former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and their adorable and ferocious “Poppy.” comments@cityweekly.net