Political Statesmen: An Endangered Species? [Opinion]
I guess to be politically correct I should say statespeople or statesperson. Even my spellchecker questions those terms.
As the Democrat National Convention winds down, voters are left with choosing between two of the most disliked candidates in history. Also, the two oldest presidential candidates to ever run on the same ballot.
While the Electoral College will ultimately decide the outcome of the election, there’s also something called the popular vote.
What Popular Vote?
The popular vote to decide between the two most disliked people to ever seek the office of the presidency? That popular vote? Talk about an oxymoron.
I guess I don’t understand how the two most disliked people rose to the top of their respective parties. What is there to like about these two?
Neither could be even remotely considered a statesman. In my opinion, they’re both scheming, lying, cheating, deceitful, narcissistic, unethical politicians. And that’s being kind to politicians.
The Way Things Used To Be
We used to elect statesmen to congress and the presidency. People of principle, not necessarily people of wealth or prestige. Common folks who wanted to better our nation attracted us. We were proud to fill in the oval next to their names.
We knew that these statesmen would be firm when the need arose but they would also compromise for the good of the country even when it might not be good for the party.
Presidents were presidents of all the people, not just those of their own party. They would sign or veto legislation based on prosperity not partisan positioning.
This time around we’ll have to hold our collective noses as we mark our ballots.
Some Final Thoughts
I’m not sure if I’m relishing the next four months or dreading them. From a media standpoint the upcoming presidential debates will probably be the most watched in history. From a personal standpoint I’m already dreading the non-stop B.S. that will be flowing out of my TV like the green slime from Ghostbusters.
They say the pendulum always swings back. So maybe this election will be the one to inspire some new blood to energize the parties to stop thinking of themselves and start being a statesman or two for the people.
It would be a really nice change.
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