I’m writing this column with the presidency in the balance. When this column runs, there will be a new president of the United States. Months of campaigning will thankfully be over.

But right now, there’s a small slice of time before I know for sure who the winner is.

I’ll be glad to see this election end, simply because there’s so much hate and vitriol in the campaign. My mind reels as to what reasons we can give our grandchildren as to how we sunk so low in this country that the two candidates for president wouldn’t even shake hands at a nationally televised political debate.

                But then I think back to a conversation I had with a group of teens this morning. They were worried that this these two are the worst candidates this country has ever put on the ballot. I told them people worry about the competency of the candidates during every presidential election.

                I grew up in a house where we had a picture of the president and the pope side by side in the kitchen. I believed the president was right up there with the pope when it came to respect, honesty and dignity.

                Then Richard M. Nixon came along, lied to the American people and our trust in the White House was forever tarnished. So my second time in the voting booth, I pulled the lever for Jimmy Carter, worried sick about the ability of a peanut farmer from Georgia to run the world’s reigning super power.

                But guess what. America didn’t fall apart.

                Later, I weighed voting for an ex-Hollywood movie star, Ronald Reagan, over Carter, but I’d watched us fail miserably to rescue Americans held hostage in Iran. Reagan promised he could keep us safe, so I pulled the lever for him, worried sick about a guy that starred in Hollywood westerns to sit in the Oval Office.

                America not only did well but we regained our position as the world’s super power.  

                Over the next few elections, I felt fairly confident about the men running for office.

                Until Bill Clinton won.

                As I watched Clinton and Gore on the stage, balloons and confetti falling all around them, I thought our country was in a heap of trouble. What in the world did these two inexperienced politicians know about running a country?

                Over the next eight years, the United States didn’t fall apart, despite Whitewater.

                When George W. Bush ran against Al Gore, I was torn. Here we were again, two men with faults and strong points running for office. When Bush won the race, I hoped our country would survive.

                We did, despite No Child Left Behind.

                And then a young Barack Obama ran for president, the first African-American to be a contender for the highest office. When he won, I was terrified some lunatic would try and assassinate him. I worried he was too young for the job, and I worried the old guard in Washington D.C. would do everything to discredit him.

                They tried, but he earned respect from those who doubted a person of color could serve as president. Our country survived, despite Obamacare.

                Here we are again, with two people running for the presidency, both with major faults and both with major strong points.

                No matter who takes the oath of office on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, this country will survive. It might not be a pretty survival. There will be resentments, threats of voter fraud, people on both sides of the political aisle refusing to get along and people wringing their hands, worried sick our country will fall apart.

                But we won’t.

                We will survive.

                We always do.

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.