At this point in the grinding election cycle, it’s not about them, now it’s about you.
For months now, it’s been all about high-profile politicians filling your eyes, ears and soul with arguments why they’re the perfect candidate for every situation. It’s been all about how their opponent is only a pawn, subservient to someone you should and probably do despise.
To their credit, being a candidate for major political office is like being interviewed for a job tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of times by potential bosses who demand you be their “yes man.” Everybody wants their choice for congress, the senate or the governor’s office to tell them exactly what they want to hear. And there’s the trick. What do you want to hear?
We’re all pretty cynical by now. We can’t live with the Affordable Care Act, and we sure as hell can’t live without it. Petroleum jobs are the solution to everything, except when they are, the price of oil drops below what it costs to suck it out of the ground, and the jobs go away. If you’ve lived in Colorado for very long, you’ve seen it happen more than once.
Bigger military? Climate change? Who knows? Who cares right now? Most voters just want to go back to cringing at Dealin’ Doug and Jake Jabs.
I’ve talked to and closely watched these candidates for years now, some for decades. Among candidates for Congress, U.S. Senate and governor, there isn’t a man among them that isn’t smart and convinced they’re benevolently doing the right thing for everyone. If you trick them into disengaging as a candidate, they’re all friendly, interesting and pretty funny guys. Among Bob Beauprez, John Hickenlooper, Mark Udall, Cory Gardener, Mike Coffman and Andrew Romanoff, they have a lot more in common than you would expect. Each of them conveys that they appreciate it when you like them, but that’s not all that important. On the contrary, they all deeply want to be liked and admired, and it’s actually a key factor in running for public office.
Contrary to what you might think, they listen very closely to their critics. They all know they can’t please everyone, but when confronted, they all try.
Despite efforts by opposing factions to vilify these candidates, none are demons. None are stupid. None are corrupt.
So what does set them apart? That’s up to you. I’m pretty much a “golden rule” guy: Don’t pass anything on people you wouldn’t want inflicted on yourself. Legislate problems as if you were one of the afflicted. That kind of thinking makes things like gay and reproductive rights a no-brainer for me. Nobody likes to be told what to do in their personal lives, especially by the government.
More important to me though, is character. Not character like which candidate wouldn’t ever fudge the truth some or do something stupid. All six of these candidates have done some remarkably inane things as politicians. No, what I’m talking about is why they do what they think is right. Coffman? He’s guided by his military past. He lives by the military code of ethics. Beauprez is led by his Catholic upbringing and family ties guide him. Gardner, too, makes it clear that strong religious beliefs are a guiding force for him.
What sets Hickenlooper, Udall and Romanoff apart is that they don’t credit anybody or any institution for guiding them to the right decision. They do the right thing based on how they would want their representative or governor to treat them, not how someone else would see foundational issues like privacy, fairness. Life and death. It means that even if you come from a different background and don’t agree on all the issues, you know decisions are made and votes are cast with you in mind, without being vetted by another psychological bureaucracy. Because not only at this point, but especially after Election Day, it’s all about you.
Reach editor Dave Perry at 303-750-7555 or dperry@aurorasentinel.com
This is probably the most balanced (in my mind) editorial you have written in past two years. Why don’t you try the same in the future, instead of telling us what the PACs, or money folks decree as prime issue? Reporters are expected to dig into all their stories, tell the warts, along with the good stuff. So much of the reporting by MSM, Television and Print was to gain the advertising dollars, instead of truly informing voting public. Not just the Sentinel and Denver Post. But across this nation, and reason so many are cynical about all leadership positions (local, city, state, and federal). Today I watched part of the hearing of CDC, and questions asked by the legislators were straight forward, and THEY GOT STRAIGHT ANSWERS. I am most impressed with the priority set forth by CDC. Anyone reporting to a clinic, doctor’s office, hospital admitting, or appointment with a fever above 100 degrees, or close, should be asked: Have traveled in past 30 days (21 is key)? Where? Who did you contact? by what means? Statement was cold and flat: No aircraft schedules fly directly from Liberia to the United States. Majority of passengers coming back from Liberia, are US citizens, with passports, and travel to other countries to make connections, to return to US. This is the kind of information so important to all US citizens. Similar issues will arise in future, and should be handled in same fashion. IT WAS SO REFRESHING TO HEAR QUESTIONS, AND ANSWERS, WITHOUT “I don’t remember” “I take the 5th”, “I will get back to you”, “I will have my staff look into that”. Been a long time since witnesses answered in that fashion, and the questions were not partisan loaded. We may have a future as a country after all.
BY THE WAY, I RECEIVED MY BALLOT 14TH EVENING, VOTED IT IN NEXT 10 MINUTES, DROPPED IT IN LOCKED BALLOT BOX ON 15TH. Could have done the same if I had the ballot immediately following the Primary Election. All of the PAC spending (both parties) and all the whining and gnashing of teeth in Colorado had no effect on my decisions. You see I know most of the candidates on a personal and political side with the issues, and have been researching, living here since I retired in 1976, and getting involved since 1991 to present. That helps immensely.