The first time Ronald Reagan ran for president a lot of Democrats voted for him. Those ‘ticket-splitters’ respected their political party but a candidate’s honesty, character, beliefs mattered more to them than his party.

Governor Jim Hunt ran for reelection the same year Reagan won and a lot of those same ticket-splitters voted for Hunt and Reagan.

You don’t see that much these days. Party is revered the way idols once were.

A lot of Democrats, as we’ve been seeing in the press, have qualms about Joe Biden’s age – but vote for him because he’s a Democrat.

Trump makes a lot of Republicans feel uneasy but they vote for Trump because he’s a Republican.

My Republican friends say voting for Trump is the right thing to do – but don’t stop there: In the next breath they cheer Trump no matter what he says. And, on the other side of the aisle, my Democrat friends cheer Biden when he stumbles.

That’s politics in the era of idols. But it sure leaves us on shaky ground.