When I was little, my dad used to play tennis with me. He would say, “Keep your eye on the ball.” I was easily distracted and often hit it into the net. It strikes me that we Americans have trouble keeping our eye on the ball when it comes to presidential elections and the issues we should be most concerned about.

We view the candidates like contestants in a beauty contest and pay too little attention to the issues. What they say (honest or not) and how they come across (old or older) gets outsize attention, not what they do or did as presidents.

For my money, there is nothing more important than providing leadership on reducing the climate threat. How well the next president keeps his eye on that ball will be absolutely critical to our future and everyone else’s.

Leading the executive branch and working with Congress to mitigate global warming is no easy task, and many Americans are distracted or overwhelmed by the constant flow of misinformation and doubts about whether anything can be done. Some ignore their own responsibility as citizens to read accurate news, learn about the issues and use their voting privilege.

Skilled, reality-based presidential leadership is a must for reducing the climate threat on the scale that is needed. My hope is that Americans wake up and cast their vote for the candidate who is already leading on this issue.

Sam Saltonstall
Brunswick

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