Blindsided
Sun., February 10, 01:00 PM
One of the worst things about an election year is the way it distracts us all. As we compare candidates, our first reaction, of course, is to the candidate himself. (Or herself.) It is really an afterthought to question whether that candidate is offering proposals that will improve our — that is, our own — way of life. All of this is very personal; we can’t help it. That is the way human minds and emotions operate.
Only after that do we ask ourselves, will these proposals work? What will they really do, who will be affected? And, for me at least, the bigger question: as president, will this candidate be able to persuade Congress to agree with him/her, to the extent of getting his programs enacted?
We’re all missing something, my friends. Congress. We know it can be the biggest obstacle, but who is Congress? What can we do to make Congress more receptive to the programs we want to see?
Who is running in your state? All the seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, and one third of the Senators are running as well. Have you thought about the people you want to elect? Will they support the proposals you like from your favorite presidential candidate? Even more important, are they electable, particularly if they openly support your views?
My point is this: we, including me, are blindsided by the distractions of the presidential campaign. I am embarrassed, because I have been taught: (1) identify the constraint and (2) attack the causes of the constraint in order to elevate (remove) it. This time, I identified a constraint and… stopped. That’s really gonna fix things, isn’t it?
Well, at least I can look at Congress from right here: neither of our state’s senators are running this year. One of those is a maverick; I don’t know how he will vote. I also have confidence in the local member of the House, who has been a tireless worker toward my political goals since well before she was elected in 1990.
I had gotten that far when the phone rang. Our city council representative told me there is going to be a primary for the Democratic town committee. Somehow, I never saw anything about that in the news, not even in the local “throwaway.”
That’s the group that nominates and endorses candidates from the town level. In other words, it’s the exact opposite of the campaign that’s grabbing our attention every day.
Y’know, I shall vote in that primary and maybe try to assist in some other way. If nothing else, I am a past master at stuffing envelopes. I think I’ve talked myself into it.
