I voted for Kamala Harris in the recent presidential election, and I’m very “disappointed” in the result. I chose that word carefully because it, and not the outcome of the vote per se, is the focus of this essay.

From the moment this campaign began (and it can be argued that it began the instant Joe Biden won the office — he did win, you know) we’ve heard incessantly from both sides in every possible news medium that the next contest will be “the most critically important decision voters will make in the history of our nation, of the world, of the universe. It will determine the very survival of our democracy.” “The sky is falling.” (Chicken Little.)

Our country has been through some harrowing and dangerous times that have truly threatened our very existence — the Civil War, World War I, World War II, to name a few. We are still here.

But the focus here is on presidential elections and the unwarranted dire warnings from both major parties that have accompanied them during my 80 years on the planet. Each one was purported to be the election to end all elections. These threats contribute to the division our country faces today. We’re still here.

The first presidential election I have any personal awareness of was Eisenhower vs. Stevenson in 1952. I was 7 years old. My 4-year-old sister and I were on the floor of our living room watching the first ever televised returns of the vote on our 10-inch TV screen. The main thing I remember was my mom sighing and stating, “This is the beginning of the end” when it became apparent that Ike would win in a landslide.

In every election since, I have heard the very same sentence from both sides warning us that the end is nigh if they don’t win. We are still here.

My choice for president has always been determined by whom I thought was the most intelligent candidate and the best critical thinker. After all, problems are dynamic and new issues come up every day. Having a position set in stone won’t work well in those cases. It’s also important for the president to be counted on to choose expert people to surround him, as no one person is an expert in everything, not even me.

Each time my candidate lost (about half the time) I was “disappointed.” But I (and thankfully millions of others) never threw in the towel, never said “done,” and that’s precisely why we’re still here.

To support my admitted generalities, I will present below some specific examples of the “high degree” of mental processing of previous president and vice president “geniuses” whom I did not vote for. Each time my preferred candidate lost I was “disappointed.” Each time I vowed to fight on. I could fill a book with examples of these candidates’ “brilliant” statements but only have room for a few gems here.

Let’s start with Richard Nixon and his vice presidents. I did not vote for them in 1968 or 1972. Below are some of the things they said:

Nixon, while in France at the funeral of Charles de Gaulle: “This is a great day for France.”

To a political associate: “If you can’t lie, you’ll never go anywhere.”

On Watergate: “What really hurts in matters of this sort is not the fact that they occur, but if you try to cover them up.”

Nixon’s first Vice President Spiro Agnew before he was forced to resign: “If you’ve seen one city slum, you’ve seen them all.”

Nixon’s second vice president, Gerald Ford, who became president after Nixon was forced to resign: “If Lincoln were alive today he’d be turning over in his grave.”’

Ronald Reagan: “Facts are stupid things.”

At the 1992 Republican National Convention criticizing Bill Clinton: “I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine.”

George H. W. Bush: “I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don’t always agree with them.”

“Read my lips, no new taxes.”

His Vice President Dan Quayle: “I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.”

After visiting Latin America: “I regret not studying Latin harder in school so I could converse with these people.”

What made him famous: “Correcting” a grade school kid in a spelling bee telling him to add an e at the end of the word potato.

George W. Bush: “They misunderestimated me.”

“Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.”

“Our enemies never stop thinking of new ways to harm our society and our people, and neither do we.”

Donald Trump, on COVID, when the pandemic began: “We have it totally under control.”

In a press conference with Drs. Andrew Fauci and Deborah Birx on the podium, he suggested injecting bleach and UV light into the body to kill the virus. Dr. Birx just looked down in disbelief. Trump said while pointing to his head, “I’m not a doctor. But I’m like a person that has a good you-know-what.”

On immigration: “Why do we have all these people from sh__hole countries coming here?”

This too shall pass. The sky is not falling. We will still be here in four years as long as we don’t give up the fight. They didn’t. Neither will we. In the meantime, rejoice. The Yankees lost the World Series.

Jonathan Kahane lives in Westhampton.