Turning One's Back on Politics...
We've stopped listening to the news for a while. Feel so sorry for those news people who have to glean material and pretend excitement (in hopes of generating same and keeping folks interested) as this seemingly endless campaign goes on. And on.
The candidates never seem to venture into areas of genuine significance to the country. What kind of people will you surround yourself with? How will you go about nominating judges? Are you able to laugh at yourself? Can you really listen to ideas from other people? What does it mean to love your enemies? Do you feel it is embarrassing to change your mind now and then? Can you work hard on something - then give - or share credit with others? Can you fire people who need firing?
Of course many of these things can't be answered for political reasons. Still I'd like to know. And most of the stuff we're hearing now comes from anything but the essence of the people we are considering.
The candidates never seem to venture into areas of genuine significance to the country. What kind of people will you surround yourself with? How will you go about nominating judges? Are you able to laugh at yourself? Can you really listen to ideas from other people? What does it mean to love your enemies? Do you feel it is embarrassing to change your mind now and then? Can you work hard on something - then give - or share credit with others? Can you fire people who need firing?
Of course many of these things can't be answered for political reasons. Still I'd like to know. And most of the stuff we're hearing now comes from anything but the essence of the people we are considering.
Are you sure that what you are hearing from them is not their essence? I, for one, cannot be sure of that. I fear that it might be their essence.
Our system tends to suck any real principle out of candidates. The ultimately unethical things they must do to get elected end up compromising who they may once have been. I think the process ultimately ends up compromising and corrupting them, to the point where what we get is mostly show...and little actual substance.
And from election to election, it never changes. Any fresh faces and ideas that may be out there (such as the fresh face that Obama used to be....) are trampled by the end of the campaign, and even the best end up in the category of (dirty) business as usual.
Posted by: A from Minnesota | April 30, 2008 at 08:08 AM
You take it a step further than I did and your point is very well taken. I agree. It is so terribly sad. I still stand by Obama as our best choice - and in hopes that he can take a deep breath and become what he has appeared to be.
Posted by: Roger Bourland | April 30, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I agree with you about Obama, and share your hopes....
Posted by: A from Minnesota | April 30, 2008 at 11:19 PM