My mom had a fairly simple theory when it came to casting her ballot. She didn’t necessarily bother with issues. She did not see race. Black or white was never an issue with her. Neither was gender. Of course for most of her life a woman running for high office wasn’t really a consideration.
She saw only two things. She saw D’s and R’s. In her book D was good; R was bad.
As many times as I tried to convince her it wasn’t that simple, she never budged.
As a young adult, her political beliefs were forged by the cauldron of the Great Depression. She and her siblings survived. But I’m not sure they ever got over the struggle, and the toll that it took on the family.
And one thing’s for certain, she never forgot it. Her hero was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who she credited with bringing the nation back from the abyss. When I told her that World War II didn’t exactly hurt in that regard, she dismissed my claim.
She never forgot what happened to her and her family in those years. And she voiced her opinion about it every time she entered a polling place.
I guess there are some Republicans in this county who would say the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree in the Heron family.
The truth is a little more complicated. I don’t share my mother’s blind loyalty to Democrats. I try to pay attention to the issues. As a newspaper editor, I try to steer our coverage and keep it in the middle. There are those on both sides that would scoff at such a suggestion, who insist we are in bed with the enemy.
Actually, I have another theory when it comes to elections, and the way people vote.
It’s not the same blind loyalty as my mother’s, but it shares the same kind of simplicity.
I think people vote their wallets. When times are good, they’re along for the ride. Let the good times roll. Their vote indicates they want more of the same, and incumbents roll.
When things go south, when their wallet gets as thin as a supermodel, they seek change.
When this election season was in its infant stages (does it really ever end?), there was much talk about foreign policy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Then Wall Street started to implode. So much for the war on terror. Now the war is being waged on the homefront.
We watched as Congress debated a $700 billion economic bailout plan as the aftershocks of economic turmoil cascaded from Wall Street to Main Street.
Some very familiar names have disappeared. Merrill-Lynch, the people who told us for years they were bullish on America? They kind of wound up like so many bulls do in those bullfights we watch on TV. The only thing left to decide is who gets the ears and tail. Bear Stearns. Lehman Brothers. AIG. Wachovia. Gone. Hope they didn’t buy the Citibank signs for the Corestates/First Union/Wachovia Center just yet. That merger looks like it’s off. Wells Fargo now is the leader to take over Wachovia.
People’s life savings are disappearing in front of their eyes. I’ll be honest with you. I have not checked my 401K in about a month. The truth is I’m almost afraid to look. I hear all the experts advise that the best thing to do is nothing. That’s easier said than done.
Last Monday, with the bailout plan in place, things actually managed to get worse.
At one point Wall Street had toppled 800 points. That’s nearly 7 percent of its value. It was an epic week on Wall Street, and very little of it was good. Friday afternoon stocks did make a rally to avoid still another horrific day.
I don’t claim to know where exactly all this is going, other than this.
There are 22 days left until we go to the polls to elect a new president.
In the past few days, the rhetoric has sharpened on both sides. We are suddenly hearing about Barack Obama’s old friends, especially those with ties to the Weather Underground. Whether or not you would say he is “palling around” with terrorists is a debate I will leave for others.
We also are suddenly starting to hear whispers about John McCain’s old ties to the Keating Five and the savings and loans scandals.
The mud is beginning to fly. I assume it will get worse as Election Day draws near.
On Nov. 4, people will enter the voting booths. Bet on this. They will carry their wallet in there with them.
They will decide who can better deal with the economic morass we find ourselves in and cast their vote accordingly.

Philip E. Heron is editor of the Daily Times. Call him at (610) 622-8818. E-mail him at editor@delcotimes.com. To visit his daily blog, the Heron’s Nest, go to www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/delcotimes/philh/blog.html.