#Politics: No Big Picture and Too Much Static

There is little in the news of substance and it is frustrating. Everything is about politics and the election. Maybe that is a positive, the country should decide its fate in a measured fashion. However, the tone, the pithy whining, the miss-characterization and misinformation, the double speak are tiresome. This applies to both parties. It is March and there is more than 6 months to go before the national referendum will occur.

 The critical primary States come and go. Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, Michigan and now Ohio and the rest to come.  Pre-election polls, exit polls, post election polls are constantly in the news. Each and every utterance by the candidates or some surrogate is nuanced and dissected. The smallest item becomes a real gaffe, offending someone, trounced on by the other. Unfortunately, this is the way it has become and it looses the big picture.

The choice for our elected leaders should be made on a few simple principals. Does the person have sound judgment? What is the basic character of the person? Does the candidate’s underlying philosophy mean that good, sound decisions, appointments will be made? Is there a basic direction that will guide and address the problems we all face?

Politics is very emotional for many people, even for rational ones. I know many sensible people who refuse to ever believe their party, their guy ever makes a bad decision. For others, the narrow focus on a particular issue overrides all else. It could be abortion, immigration, taxes, government regulation, name the issue. I find that approach quite myopic. Of course, no elected official will act exactly as we would, but a blind allegiance is silly.

It seems I have been following and involved in politics since Hoover was President. It is a rough and tumble game in our semi-republican form of Government. However, most of the day-to-day stuff, the games being played, the gotcha, the inside the Beltway analysis, the mouse trap, the creation of embarrassing votes is really just counter-productive nonsense and static.

This November the choice will be clear. Liberals such as the President offer a record of past performance and a future direction for the public to decide whether it was to continue down that path. The conservatives will offer a different direction. Could not be clearer and this tedious process we are enduring will not change the situation. What is needed, however, is to get rid of the political static and listen to the music.