Are we guilty of expecting politics to be cleaner than it really is? Why is it we would accept the human nature of our family members or ourselves but politicians are supposed to be perfect? Heaven help a presidential candidate if he passed gas back in kindergarten. As a result, candidates are campaigning with ethereal statements that don’t really mean anything but make us feel good about their ability to get elected?
A candidate willing to do the “right thing” can be different depending on one’s core beliefs, making it hard to see one candidate over another. So we can’t simply vote for someone who is planning on doing the “right thing,” because what the candidates really mean is they are going to make policies that people who think like them agree with. And some candidates will say they are willing to “make the tough and unpopular decisions because they care so much about our quality of life.” We need to read beyond the rhetoric to see which leaders have been able to turn tough decisions into popular ones.” That may be the key.
Rhetoric is part of politics and influences us more than we would likely admit. The sound bite that appeals to us but doesn’t hook to any substantial action is unfortunately part of the game, like answering all the questions without answering them at all. Until this practice changes, if it ever does, it is put upon us to make sure we do not vote for candidates who put our needs and issues in the Democrat and Republican boxes. It may feel good to hear someone say something that we align with and is regurgitated by talking heads, but FOX or MSNBC are not real life; it’s our backyard and our neighborhood. We should vote for candidates who get that.
Demand results! The everyday experiences that guide our lives give us experience relative to the things we say and do. If a candidate is saying they are going to improve the economy, create jobs, and get America back on track,” we should ask them how they have already done it. If they can’t make our quality of life better as a citizen, how will they do it as an elected official, a presidential candidate especially? When we believe that someone is going to create jobs it is unfortunately rarely because they have done it versus the fact that they say they are going to do it.
Who has gotten “dirt to move” so to speak? It’s easy to say what you will do, but much easier to show what you have done. Actions speak louder than words. The fact is, once a candidate is an elected official, what matters is how they vote, can they get the money home to fund local projects, where do they spend the money, and how does he or she demonstrate their ability to collaborate on tasks to get them done? By this point everyone sees through the psychological tactics of those who simply read President Clinton’s political playbook on how to shake a hand and rub an arm counterclockwise to get a vote.
I, like many, will be looking for the cool humility and serious focus on the job being sought by the candidates I vote for. I will also be looking at the one who finally rises above the partisan mudslinging taking place right now and finally says, “This is a waste of time we need to focus on issues.” Neither candidate has yet stepped up and began a dialogue about how
