The campaign texts never stop and they make me sick! The attack ads never end and it's maddening! The promises flow like cheap beer in an Applachian nightclub. Then Election Day passes, and suddenly, our elected officials go ghost.
Let me ask you a question.
When was the last time you received a text message from your elected representative asking how they were performing?
Not asking for your vote. Not asking for a campaign donation. Not reminding you that the other party is "destroying America".
I'm talking about a genuine, honest-to-goodness message asking, "Hey, are you happy with the job we're doing? What can we do better?"
Can't remember? Neither can I.
But let an election get close, and suddenly, your phone won't stop vibrating.
Text messages. Emails. Political ads. Mailers. Phone calls. Social media posts. Campaign volunteers knocking on your door like they're delivering a warrant. Well, then again, I don't get door knocks any more. That's so 90's.
Everybody cares about your future. At least, that's what they want you to believe. Then the election ends, and poof! They're gone.
Four years later, they'll be back, smiling for the cameras and acting like the two of you have been best friends since kindergarten.
And we're supposed to pretend this is normal?
The Great American Political Ghosting
Think about it.
During campaign season, politicians will contact you so often that you'll start wondering whether you're dating them.
"Can we count on your vote?"
"Can you donate $25?"
"Did you see what the other side said?"
Then the election is over.
Silence.
No texts asking whether their promises are being fulfilled. No surveys asking whether your neighborhood is improving. No emails asking what issues matter most to you now that they actually have the power to do something about them.
Just three or four years of political radio silence, followed by another avalanche of messages when they need something from you again.
That's not representation. That's customer service for a business that only answers the phone when they need bills paid.
And here's the real kicker: We keep rewarding them for it.
Why Do We Keep Falling for Democrats vs. Republicans?
This is where I have a problem with us, the voters. Well, not "us". Some of you. I don't participate in this political party nonsense.
Somewhere along the way, we've allowed politics to become a sporting event.
You're Team Red or you're Team Blue. You cheer for your side, boo the other side, and defend your team's players even when they fumble the ball, run the wrong direction, and accidentally tackle their own quarterback.
Sound familiar?
It should.
We've become so obsessed with political parties that we've forgotten what elections are supposed to accomplish. And I've complained about this plenty of times on my blog going back a decade.
An election is supposed to help us choose the best person for the job. It isn't supposed to be a loyalty test for a political party.
Yet every election cycle, we hear the same tired arguments.
"You have to vote Democrat!"
"You have to vote Republican!"
"If you vote for Independent, you're helping the other side!"
Really? Is that the best argument we've got?
What happened to evaluating a candidate's qualifications, experience, integrity, judgment, leadership, and actual plans for addressing the problems we face?
What happened to looking at someone's record instead of their party affiliation?
Oh, wait. That requires reading. Scratch that.
And why are we so willing to excuse bad behavior from our preferred candidate while treating the exact same behavior from the opposing candidate as proof that the entire country is doomed?
If your candidate does something wrong, it's apparently a misunderstanding.
If the other candidate does it, it's a national scandal.
We can't keep pretending that this makes us informed voters.
It makes us predictable voters. And predictable voters are incredibly convenient for politicians.
They don't have to earn your support if they know you'll give it to them anyway.
Attack Ads: Is This Really the Best We Can Do?
Let's talk about campaign advertising.
I understand that candidates need to explain why they're the better choice. I understand that criticizing an opponent's policies, voting record, qualifications, and public conduct is part of political competition.
That's fair game.
If a candidate has a terrible record, expose it. If they've broken promises, show us. If their policies would hurt the people they're supposed to represent, explain why.
Bring the receipts.
But somewhere along the way, political campaigns decided that attacking a person's character, humiliating their family, and dragging personal trauma into an election were acceptable substitutes for discussing the issues.
Take the controversy surrounding Ohio candidate "Ramy" and the campaign ad involving his opponent's reportedly abusive and estranged mother.
Whatever one's political position, that raises a basic question: At what point did we decide that somebody else's family trauma was fair game for political entertainment?
A candidate's public record is one thing. A relative's private pain is another.
If the mother in question was abusive and estranged from her child, what exactly are voters supposed to learn from putting her in an advertisement? How does that tell us whether the candidate can manage a budget, represent constituents, solve problems, or lead effectively?
Explain the policy. Challenge the record. Debate the issues.
But exploiting a family relationship involving alleged abuse and estrangement to score political points? That's the sort of thing that should make voters question the campaign's judgment, not simply applaud because the target belongs to the other party.
And here's the part that really gets me: These ads work because we let them work.
We share them. We laugh at them. We get angry about them. We circulate the most outrageous clips until everybody has seen them.
Then we act surprised when political discourse becomes a dumpster fire.
You cannot complain about the quality of political campaigns while rewarding the very tactics that make them worse.
We have to stop confusing cruelty with strength and outrage with substance.
Candidates Who Won't Debate: What's There to Be Afraid Of?
Now let's talk about another campaign-season tradition: candidates who somehow find a million reasons not to debate their opponents.
Granted the candidates never answer the questions that are being asked anyway, but it does help to put the issues out there to see their responses (or non-responses).
They'll do interviews with friendly hosts. They'll appear at carefully controlled events. They'll deliver rehearsed speeches to cheering crowds.
But put them on a debate stage with a serious opponent who might challenge their claims, and suddenly their calendar is packed.
Let's be clear: Candidates have legitimate reasons to decline certain events. Not every debate is fair, every moderator is impartial, or every invitation deserves acceptance.
But when a candidate repeatedly avoids meaningful opportunities to answer questions and defend their positions, voters should take notice.
If you want the authority to make decisions for millions of people, you should be willing to explain those decisions in front of the people who have to live with them.
We shouldn't have to elect someone based on carefully edited commercials and a handful of talking points.
We should be able to hear them answer tough questions.
We should be able to compare their answers side by side.
We should be able to see how they respond when someone challenges them.
And if they refuse to participate, that refusal should become part of our evaluation.
The presidency, a Senate seat, a governor's office, or a seat in Congress is not a participation trophy. If you're asking for the job, show us why you're qualified.
Midterm Elections Aren't a Super Bowl for Political Parties
Here's another thing that drives me crazy: the way we turn midterm elections into a referendum on Democrats versus Republicans instead of an evaluation of the people actually running for office.
Midterm elections matter. They determine who writes laws, controls legislative chambers, oversees government agencies, and holds elected officials accountable.
But somewhere along the way, we've turned them into a national tug-of-war between two political brands.
The message becomes less about what a candidate will do for your community and more about which party needs to win to stop the other party from winning.
And the candidates know exactly how to play that game.
Instead of asking, "What are your plans for our schools, roads, economy, public safety, health care, and local communities?" we're encouraged to ask, "Which party will make the other party miserable?"
Congratulations. We have turned self-government into professional wrestling, complete with villains, heroes, manufactured outrage, and fans who refuse to acknowledge when their favorite wrestler cheats.
Except professional wrestling is entertainment. Elections have consequences.
Your grocery bill doesn't care whether your representative has a D or an R after their name.
Your neighborhood doesn't care. Your children's future doesn't care. The pothole that you've been dodging in the road since the last administration certainly doesn't care.
Here's a Little Experiment for Election Day
I want you to try something.
When you look at your ballot this November, imagine that every political party label has disappeared.
No D. No R.
Just the candidates' names, their qualifications, their records, their positions on the issues, and their plans for the future.
Now choose.
Who would you vote for?
Who has the best judgment? Who has demonstrated integrity? Who understands the responsibilities of the office? Who has a record of getting things done? Who is most likely to listen to constituents, even the ones who disagree with them?
Would you choose the same person?
Maybe you would. There are plenty of thoughtful voters who carefully evaluate candidates and still arrive at a strong party preference.
But I suspect a lot of people would suddenly find the decision much harder.
And that is the problem.
If removing a single letter from a ballot completely changes your decision, you might not be evaluating the candidate as carefully as you think you are.
You might be voting out of habit.
You might be voting out of fear.
You might be voting because your parents always voted that way, your friends vote that way, or your favorite television personality told you that the other side is evil.
Whatever the reason, ask yourself whether that's good enough.
Because when we vote for someone simply because they belong to our preferred party, we're giving them permission to do less to earn our support.
They don't need to persuade us. They don't need to impress us. They don't even need to be particularly good at their jobs.
They just need to make sure we remain afraid of the alternative.
That's a pretty sweet arrangement for politicians.
It's a terrible arrangement for voters.
We Need to Stop Letting Politicians Off the Hook
The responsibility doesn't end when we cast our ballots.
In fact, that's when our responsibility really begins.
We should be paying attention to what our elected officials do after they take office.
Did they keep their promises?
Did they explain why they couldn't keep them?
Did they respond to questions and concerns?
Did they make decisions based on evidence and the needs of the people, or did they simply follow the party line?
And when they fail, do we hold them accountable?
Or do we immediately start making excuses because the alternative is supposedly worse?
We need to demand more than a campaign website and an occasional press release.
We need accessible representatives, public accountability, meaningful constituent feedback, and regular opportunities to hear directly from the people we elect.
Imagine if every elected official routinely sent constituents a short, nonpartisan performance survey.
What are we doing well? What are we doing poorly? Which local problems need immediate attention? What should our priorities be over the next six months?
Imagine if they published clear reports explaining their votes, their accomplishments, their missed goals, and their plans for addressing the problems that remain.
Imagine if politicians treated communicating with voters as a responsibility of the job rather than a temporary inconvenience between campaign seasons.
What a revolutionary concept: elected officials actually communicating with the people who pay their salaries.
And no, a politician shouldn't be expected to agree with every constituent or change positions every time a poll shifts. Leadership requires making difficult decisions, and sometimes the right decision isn't the popular one.
But leaders should be able to explain themselves, listen to criticism, and demonstrate that the public's concerns matter.
We don't need politicians who tell us what we want to hear every day.
We need politicians who remember who they work for.
Stop Blaming the Other Side for Everything
Here's the uncomfortable truth: We cannot fix a broken political culture while insisting that only the other side is responsible for it.
If you're a Democrat, hold Democrats accountable.
If you're a Republican, hold Republicans accountable.
If you're an independent, hold everyone accountable.
If your preferred candidate runs a campaign built on personal attacks instead of substantive arguments, don't give them a free pass.
If your preferred candidate breaks promises, don't suddenly develop amnesia.
And if the opposing candidate actually has better qualifications, better judgment, or a better plan for the job, have the courage to acknowledge it.
You don't have to agree with everything someone believes to recognize that they might be the better person for a particular position.
That's what independent thinking looks like.
It doesn't mean abandoning your principles. It means refusing to surrender your judgment to a political party.
We should be able to disagree without treating each other like enemies.
That's not weakness. That's maturity.
Yes, You Should Vote. But Please, Vote for the Best Candidate.
Let me be absolutely clear about one thing.
I urge everyone who is eligible to get out and vote.
Every election matters. Midterms matter. Local elections matter. School board elections matter. The people we elect have real power over our everyday lives.
Don't sit on the sidelines and complain about the results if you refuse to participate in choosing them.
But I also plead with you to do something more important than simply showing up.
Think.
Research the candidates. Read their positions. Look at their records. Listen to their interviews. Watch their debates when they participate. Pay attention to how they treat people, how they handle criticism, and whether their promises make any sense.
Don't let a campaign ad make your decision for you.
Don't let a text message frighten you into voting a certain way.
And don't assume the other candidate is unqualified because the other party endorsed them.
Make the candidate earn your vote.
Then, after the election, keep paying attention.
Remember that the person you elected still works for you after the campaign signs come down. You are still a constituent. You still have concerns. You still have a right to ask questions and expect answers.
And when the next election rolls around, don't judge the incumbent by how many times they texted you during the campaign.
Judge them by what they actually accomplished while they had the job.
The Sheep Are Not the Only Ones to Blame
It's easy to blame politicians. They give us plenty of reasons to do it.
But politicians didn't invent our willingness to ignore facts that inconvenience us. They didn't force us to share every inflammatory advertisement. They didn't make us automatically defend every action taken by our preferred party.
We participate in this system, too.
Every time we vote for a candidate without examining their record, we contribute to the problem.
Every time we excuse dishonesty because it comes from our side, we contribute to the problem.
Every time we reward personal attacks, manufactured outrage, and candidates who refuse to answer legitimate questions, we contribute to the problem.
And every time we allow party loyalty to become more important than competence, integrity, and accountability, we make it easier for politicians to keep treating us the way they do.
So yes, I'm frustrated with the politicians who flood our phones with messages when they need our votes and disappear when we need their attention.
I'm frustrated with the attack ads, the empty promises, the political theater, and the candidates who seem more concerned with winning than with serving.
But I'm equally frustrated with a voting public that keeps rewarding the behavior it claims to hate.
We cannot demand better government while refusing to demand better candidates.
And we cannot complain about being ignored when we repeatedly hand power to people who have little incentive to listen to us once the election is over.
Final Thoughts: Your Vote Is Not a Team Jersey
This November, vote.
Vote for the candidate you believe is best qualified to do the job. Vote for the person whose record, judgment, character, and policies give you the strongest reason to trust them.
If that's a Democrat, vote Democrat.
If that's a Republican, vote Republican.
If that's an independent or another candidate, give that person serious consideration, too.
But don't vote for someone simply because they've convinced you that the other side is worse.
Fear is not a qualification. Party loyalty is not a resume. And a clever attack ad is not a governing plan.
Remember, these people are asking to work for us.
They are not royalty. They are not celebrities auditioning for another season of a reality show. And they are certainly not entitled to our votes simply because they have an R or a D next to their names.
They are public servants.
Or at least, that's what they're supposed to be.
Because here's the bottom line: Politicians will keep doing what politicians do as long as we let them.
We can't control every campaign tactic. We can't guarantee that every candidate will act honorably. And we can't make every elected official a good leader.
But we can control how we vote. We can demand accountability. We can refuse to be manipulated by party loyalty.
And we can stop rewarding candidates who treat elections like a game and voters like disposable campaign props.
The power is supposed to belong to the people.
Maybe it's time we started acting like it.
Vote. Think for yourself. Demand better. And for the love of common sense, stop voting for the jersey they're wearing and start voting for the player.
No comments:
Post a Comment