This blog is about people and their passions. And politics is a huge passion for many people. I see the posts where people expound at length about the glories of the system, rave about the conventions, sit mesmerized for hours of roll call votes. It’s a passion. And this post is about something I realized recently about politics and our candidates and my views towards them.
I’ve been a non-Democrat and anti-Hill for a long time. Bern baby Bern. (being as this is a new blog you wouldn’t know much about me and my political, or should I say non-political history. Suffice to say, Bernie is the first candidate I’ve ever truly stood behind. He stunk the least of anyone). But since Bernie lost the nomination I’ve been in mourning. And feeling lost and out of sorts. What now?
Yes I am still undecided. Do I sit it out? Throw away my valuable and precious vote? As a naturalized citizen, getting the right to vote in America was a noteworthy milestone in my life and I don’t want to squander it. But what to do? Jill? Hill? Gary? Write in Bernie? The choices are there. None really palatable, though one thing is clear – anything but The Clown.
And then something Jim Wright wrote about Clinton (with respect to her choice of running mate) resonated with me – “The kind of careful, deliberate, in-depth, strategic analysis you want from a president.” Of course! I’ve forgotten that to navigate the complex, crazy, scheming world of international politics, perhaps you do need a schemer. Someone slightly, or a lot, underhanded who can get things done and manage (a more open minded term than manipulate) the situation to reach their goals. Nice people get chewed up and spit out in politics. I don’t want a “nice” person heading this country. I want a cold, calculating, schemer who makes the hard choices that I could never do. Someone unafraid to go against the grain. To make unpopular decisions. I think Sanders is such a candidate. Cold, calculating schemer going against the grain. Bernie? The kind and gentle grandfather? Yep. That Bernie. Look behind the mask. You can be kind and a grandfather and respectful and polite….and still be a scheming politician. Those are not mutually exclusive characteristics.
Running the country is not a popularity contest (though getting to that position certainly seems to be). Is that really the secret of politics? To work the system? To mold it to your needs. And is it up to us voters to find the candidate whose needs and molding strategy most closely align with ours? I say yes. I say start looking and digging with a passion appropriately applied to something that will shape our lives for the next four years.
A president should be presidential at the podium and ruthless and calculating behind closed doors. We need gravitas. Listen, think, watch the debates, then make up your own mind and vote.
It works!
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