His icy blue eyes burned with the passion of a true believer as he stood on the old house’s front porch. Knock. Knock. Knock. His knuckles burned as he rapped on the brown oak door. Nothing. He knocked again. The volunteer heard footsteps as he patiently waited with a handful of pamphlets. Warm sun burned the back of his neck as a trickle of sweat rolled down his spine.
The door opened slowly, revealing an older man with thin, wispy hair and a glass eye. The volunteer tried to guess his age; He probably was 90.
“Can I help you, son?” The older man looked at the volunteer ‘s eyes and could tell he had the passion of a true-believer.
“I’d like to tell you a little why you should vote for…” the volunteer mentioned the name of a candidate for a local election.
The old man smiled slightly. He knew both candidates personally. He knew their strengths. He knew their weaknesses. The devil on his shoulder wanted to slam the door on the volunteer. But it was the South. Proper training and manners wouldn’t allow him to do something so crass. So he listened.
“My candidate’s opponent is…” the volunteer went on to slam the man with a barrage of code words and talking points. The old man smiled and listened patiently. The volunteer finished up with, “And that’s why you should vote for my candidate.” He awkwardly handed the pamphlet to the older man. The older man gazed at the full-color picture of the candidate in front of an American flag.
The old man didn’t say anything to the volunteer as he turned and started onto to the next house.
Then he spoke.
“Son, I mean no disrespect to you because you could be my grandson. I’m just giving you a little fatherly advice. I fought in World War 2 70 years ago against a man who led his nation with the kind of fear and platitudes you just spewed at me. I lost friends, my left eye and my ability to sleep without nightmares. So when I came home. I was darned determined to do something positive with my life. Me and my friends build this world you live in and it has come to this. Now I applaud you for having the civic pride to get up and support your candidate. But if all your candidate stands for is fear, I’m not buying. Fear is political crack: Addictive, seductive and nearly impossible to give up. I’ve had enough of it in my lifetime. America is better than that. And so is your candidate.”
And with that, he closed the door and the red-faced volunteer went on to share his message at the next house.