Rough and tumble politics

Should you run, the opposition from some of the other side of the issues can be brutal. And not just on the candidate - there are times the mud spatters on the family as well.  

I was just telling my wife this morning, politics, even at the most local level, is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it can be downright rough and tumble. If you publicly take a position, there will be some that agree with you, some that are neutral, some that mildly disagree with you, and some on the fringe who will say you are dumber than dog poop (or something equivalent). 

One of my good friends always reminds me of one of his life's mottoes - if we can disagree, we must do it without being disagreeable. Sage advice from a very wise man. Just this morning when I turned on my computer, someone had jumped on one of my social media threads. Why? All I had said was when the polls opened today, my wife and I were proudly going to vote for our Congressman. This person as much as called me feeble minded. Rather than just let it go, there had to be some type of retort on a innocent posting I made.

That gave me pause to think for a bit. Then it once again came to me. This is why so many people hate politics. Why they shy away from it. I have been asked more than once if I would ever consider running for anything. My answer is always "no". Not that I don't admire people who run. I do. Many of them (not all) I hold in the highest regard. Should someone decide to run, the opposition from some of the other side can be brutal. And not just on the candidate - there are times when the mud spatters on the family as well.

In Washington it can be even worse than at the local level. That goodness it is not as bad now as it once was. Back in 1798, Roger Griswold and Matthew Lyon got into a shouting match on the floor of our Congress. One called the other a "scoundrel", the other spit in his face, and the fight was on. Now we are better than that today, but this shows how old political disputes are in this country. I guess Griswold and Lyon decided not to disagree, disagreeably!

To set the tone for the next generation coming up, the blood sport of politics needs to be redefined into something more like a debate society. In other words, spar in the arena of ideas. Never be personal. Many of us can remember Ronald Reagan when he was President. Never a cruel man. Always focused on the ideas and ideals. He could beat someone in a debate with a smile on his face and not leave one drop of blood on the floor. We really need to get back to that kind of civility.

This morning my wife and I will vote. Tonight the votes will be tallied and winners chosen. Starting on Wednesday, we will then focus on convincing the voting public our ideas and plans are better and more sound than the Democrat's ideas.

Or we can continue to have intra-party fights. And then go down in flames in November. The choice is always ours to make.