Pennsylvania: God, Country, and an Uneasy Confidence
From Laundry to Lawmakers: Ruth and Sarah’s Election Road Trip
A long, pretty flat drive through rural Pennsylvania, past open fields and mostly small towns, takes us to Harrisburg, the state’s capital. Speaker Mike Johnson is expected at a rally for Congressman Scott Perry, and there’s anticipation in the air.
Something resembling country music is blaring as the crowd mingles. A few women dressed head to toe in stars and stripes catch my eye, and when they discover we’ve come all the way from Israel, heads turn. Suddenly, we’re something of an attraction ourselves.
Our red wristbands get us into the front rows, drawing a few curious looks. Who are these women? This is a close-knit Republican crowd, and we’re clearly outsiders. But the welcome is warm, genuine, and enthusiastic.
Do they plan to win this election? Absolutely. There’s plenty of talk about God and country, and we feel surprisingly at home. Peace through strength? That too.
And yet, something about the repeated insistence that victory is assured doesn’t quite convince me. Beneath the enthusiasm, I sense an uneasiness. There’s disdain for the other party, concern about the direction the country is taking, and a worry that the America these people know and love is changing in ways they find deeply troubling.
In New York and Pennsylvania, we’ve watched our congressional friends face opponents who, to my mind, reflect a deliberate push by Democratic Party organizations toward the left. Whether that strategy reflects what ordinary voters actually want is another question.
As a conservative, I find it troubling. I remember an America where political differences could be sharp without every election feeling like a battle over the country’s very identity. I wonder whether that America is slipping away.
At the same time, I am struck by the ordinary, deeply familiar concerns of the people around us. These are Americans who want to work, raise their families, practice their faith, live safely, and build a decent future for their children. Their priorities are not particularly complicated.
The current administration points to a long list of accomplishments and promises kept. The economy remains central to the political conversation, and for many voters, the question is less about grand political theories than whether their families are better off and whether tomorrow looks promising.
Here in Pennsylvania, good people want good lives for their families. It really is that simple.
Democrats would do well to listen carefully to those concerns, just as Republicans must. There is room in American politics for genuine disagreement over policy and priorities. But when political arguments seem increasingly disconnected from the everyday lives of the people they are meant to serve, something important is lost.
What stays with me from the evening is not only the rally itself, or the familiar political speeches, but the people. Their warmth toward two visitors from Israel, their pride in their country, their determination, and yes, their anxiety about what comes next.
Sarah and I have come to America for eight days of election road-tripping, visiting our congressional friends in the communities they represent. After three years in which so many American friends made the effort to come to Israel, stand beside us, and show us that we were not alone, we felt it was time to return the gesture.
We’re here to listen, to reconnect, and to understand a little more about the America beyond Washington.
Pennsylvania has given us plenty to think about.
And the road trip is on its way. Hope you’ll keep following us, and please share thoughts on these campaigns below.
