The Perfect Politician

All too soon, another important election year will be upon us. I’m afraid that once again I will be searching in vain for my ideal candidate. It is a shame, because it would take so little to be my ideal candidate. First, you would have to promise me that you would work hard. Next, you would have to promise me that you would do research (or have others do research) into the issues. Third, and this is where it begins to get problematic, you would have to promise me that you would be open to reconsidering your positions should new evidence arise or should conditions change. Some politicians do change their positions for less than noble reasons, but some people actually change their mind once or twice over the course of their lives. I’m more than OK with that, I demand it. I want my elected representatives to keep using their brains for at least the whole time they are representing me. Lastly, and most problematic of all, you would have to be committed to doing what is right for the country. I wrap up a lot into the notion of doing what is right. It includes, for example, taking long term considerations into account along with short term considerations. So, I want my elected representatives to consider how our military campaigns impact the way others perceive us for years into the future. I also want him or her to think about what it means for our government to sanction torture or wiretapping. It’s fine to be against abortion, no one is really for it, but what happens after you outlaw it. Every action has implications, and I want my elected representatives to think about it. I don’t want them to appeal to fear or anger or hate. I want them to motivate followers with their ideas. I don’t want them to trade insults or talk in platitudes. That isn’t right. Calling someone a socialist or a liberal never solved a single problem. Neither did going on about big government. Talk about efficient or inefficient government and you’ve got my attention, talk about size and you lose me. Who cares how big it is if it does its job, and don’t tell me it doesn’t have a job. The financial crisis, or the oil rig explosion, or even the looting in the wake of the recent tornados should reaffirm that people are people and they created governments for a reason. The bottom line is if you are working hard, spending time to get to know the issues and their history, and are interested in solutions … I’ll be hard pressed not to vote for you. It’s so simple, and yet for some reason really really hard.