Business as usual

Dear Readers,

We just completed the Aug. 5 primaries and I must say it is “business as usual” when it comes to campaigning. You might ask, “What do you mean by saying that?” Well, every time I turned on the television, the mud slinging, name-calling and attempts at discrediting candidates was front and center. It seemed nothing was, or is off limits. Being an individual that loves politics, I find this almost unbearable and in many ways it is just the beginning.

With the November elections just around the corner, the bashing will only get worse before it stops. I don’t care about celebrity, bitchiness, looks, etc. My political utopia would look something like this: It wouldn’t matter how tall the person is, what type of clothes they wear, whether they color their hair or if they’ve had surgery. It wouldn’t matter if they weren’t black/white/brown, etc enough; or if they were too old, or if they were too young…My utopia would have an endless “I don’t care” list. These types of questions have little to nothing to do with what the candidate’s positions are on issues that are important to you!

I know I am not the only one who is disillusioned with the process. It is a disservice to our political landscape to derail the issues by hearing/reading ads that pit one candidate against the other with personal attacks. Is it any wonder tremendously qualified individuals steer away from politics? Even those that do enter the arena seem to fall victim to this behavior!

Not that I think this primary was a total bust. I do think there were some excellent candidates chosen to represent their constituents. I would like to ask them to share what it took for them to rise above the pettiness of politics and stick to the issues that affect this state. Perhaps that is a topic for futures issues as we traverse the remainder of this political season.

Til next issue,
Pam Schneider