Elections and Biased Media

Happy New Year!   Not happy new fear as some of the pundits would have us believe.  We can meet the future with courage and resolution or we can cower.  So let us live watchfully and walk softly and carry a big stick, to quote that august Republican Teddy Roosevelt. 

The presidential election is almost indescribable but I will give it a try.  The preordained Republican candidate is not winning and a newcomer to the political arena is winning the race in many parts of the country.  The lesser candidates are ripping each other apart as they did in primaries past, which produced losing candidates both times in the last two elections.  Maybe we need more respect for the voters, instead of viewing them as plastic to be molded.  I don’t think our election system was designed to bar candidates who have never held public office and it is obvious that the skills called for in governing do require the ability to use a consensus approach. 

Who am I to say when a candidate should drop out?  According to the polls, some don’t have much support but let’s wait for the actual vote before counting anybody out.  I like a vote better than a poll. 

I’m burned by the use of the executive order to attempt a change in gun sale regulations.  Sure, the President has not made as many executive orders as others, but it is the way he uses it.  If he can’t get something through the legislature, that means the people represented by those legislators do not want it and that people could vote them out for imposing it when they don’t want it.  That is the way the system is set up, in order to avoid dictatorial decision making.   The President is blurring the line between the Executive and the Legislative.  Crocodile tears don’t erase the Constitution. 

I’m tired of the media and their restricted vocabulary.   They use the same words to describe political contests as they use to describe war.  Everything is an ‘attack’ instead of a ‘criticism’.  Terrorists attack, politicians attack, people attack the media, God, would you give them a thesaurus?   Terrorists do attack but politicians debate and people criticize the media.  I’m sick of their negative exaggeration.

I look for a busy election cycle with many events and we will try to keep you posted about what is going on.  We hope for a mix of daytime and evening events featuring local candidates and senate candidates because we are electing a Senator this year.  All candidates are welcome to all of our meetings and there’s always time to say a few words.   This is truly one of the most important elections in modern times:  the voters will decide for more of the same downhill trends or a new direction for our endeavors.