Chris Smith: The sunshine felt so good Tuesday, but not the angst

Could Tuesday have been any nicer a day?

For hours on end, just enough sunshine streamed from blue skies to allow for bare arms. The accompanying breeze was barely sufficient to turn the fallen leaves for even drying.

But some of the people outdoors soaking up the amiable Election Day weather weren’t so serene inside.

“The climate is crazy,” said Michael Holmes, who’d been softly playing his guitar at a picnic table on the Windsor Town Green. He spoke of the nation’s current political climate, which pits many who claim blue on one side, red the other in a most uncivil culture war.

Holmes, 72, is concerned that at least isolated incidents of trouble in the streets could follow the vote for president. “I would hope,” he added, “that the overwhelming majority would not go along with it.”

Holmes then observed, “George Washington warned against this.”

He referred to the portion of the first president’s farewell address in which Washington cautioned that a “spirit of revenge” can arise when loyalty to political parties exceeds loyalty to the nation. Extreme partisanship among Americans, the departing president warned in 1796, “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection ... (and) opens the door to foreign influence and corruption...”

Despite all that’s happening in the country right now, Holmes said he does not believe that angry words will escalate into widespread violent actions as the votes are counted.

“I think I’m right,” he said. “I hope I’m right.” Then he resumed sweetly playing his guitar on Windsor’s idyllic central green.

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HER SANDWICH was being made as 28-year-old Imelda Reyes stood outside the door at Ike’s Place near Santa Rosa Junior College, digging the sunshine.

How was she feeling about Election Day? With the country so politically charged right now, she worries there may well be abuses that will result in votes not being counted.

Reyes was anticipating a long night Tuesday.

“I’ll definitely be staying up,” she said. “I’m definitely going to be praying.”

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I SPOKE WITH several people who were out and about and enjoying the splendid weather Tuesday and weren’t feeling anxious about what some partisans angered by the vote count might do.

“It’s out of my control,” said a retirement-aged fellow who rested outside the Oliver’s Market in Windsor. He introduced his smiling, gray dog to me as Jayda, but preferred to keep his own name to himself.

“I don’t worry about things out of my control,” he added. “It’s not only politics, it’s everything.”

A couple of others I approached said they’re feeling fine, perhaps just ready for the presidential election to be over.

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IN COTATI early Tuesday afternoon, Catherine Ault sat on the lawn in the downtown plaza, watching her kids play and taking in the rays.

I felt a mite badly to ask her how she’s feeling about the presidential election.

“I feel numb, to tell you the truth,” replied the 32-year-old.

Ault described being overwhelmed by the flood of rancor and threats and all the rest that’s gushed from the presidential campaign. She said so much of it has left her feeling demoralized, but there are parts, too, that have her feeling encouraged.

Also on the upside, Tuesday looked to be just another happy day to her kids, and even with daylight savings the glorious sunshine was still going to be around for a while.

You can contact Chris Smith at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.