Putting honesty back into politics

“It is out of the question of course that any community can permanently succeed if corruption eats into the fibre of its citizens. There must be honesty in the individual relations of life. There must be honesty in business. There must be honesty in public life. The man who swindles in business, and the public servant who does not adhere to a standard of rigid integrity should alike be objects of contempt and abhorrence. Any failure to condemn them, and above all any cynical indifference to their wrong-doing, are marks of national decadence.”-- Theodore Roosevelt

The only thing constant about politics is the fact, it will chew a person up and spit them out. It’s grueling, isolating, and mentally exhausting. I mean there’s always someone trying to work some angle to get into a seat or get just enough influence to become a danger to themselves and others. We see that every day with the politicians. Be it on a local, state, or national level. However, that’s just what you see on the outside looking in, but when you look from the inside out.. It’s worse. Between small committees throwing you under the bus because they’re always looking for some “great new imaginary hope” they think can save them. Or at least entitled enough to speak for everyone despite nobody wanting to organize other than online random groups filled with memes. I mean lord forbid that real conversations might actually bring about some progress that would improve everyone’s lives. Then there are the dirty tricks behind closed doors that are attempting to push good folks out of solid races. Just to give us mediocre candidates that nobody really wants, and who has about the same chance as a snowball not melting in a volcano–calling it a “win”. For an organizer, it’s beyond frustrating and depressing to watch good people who once were so energized about making a real difference; now wondering whether or not, they should continue or just give up. And sure, we can say that is the nature of politics, but I would argue that’s only been the more “pronounced” nature of politics since 2016 when Christo extremism started to really rear its ugly head. In other words, it’s becoming more and more obvious that neither party really wants people to have an opportunity to find a candidate that would actually represent their best interests. It’s really disenfranchised and disillusioned folks to the point that they have gone completely apathetic and apolitical. I mean there’s no point in getting interested in a system that doesn’t want to take interest in them in minds of the average voter anyway. That’s why folks should question when “pop-up” candidates that nobody has ever heard of before start showing up out of the woodwork to announce their candidacy. Questioning the validity of any candidate is one way you can exercise your power as a citizen, and find out if that person is going to actually represent your best interest. And it’s not just the platforms people should question, but ask the question of why they’re running in the first place. Can they spot the issues that plagues an area? Do they have any viable solutions to address those issues? Do they have some kind of political “footprint” prior to running?

You might not think that it’s important, but it is. Having something to show that a person has been involved with some kind of activism, volunteerism, or something that shows community-mindedness is important. Because it means they will take the time to listen and ask what people need. It shows that not are they only listening, but are willing to put their words into action by creating policies to get those needs met. And that’s the kind of lawmakers we truly need as opposed to more of the same with lip service. And just a “pro tip” if they spout off “I’m running because I’m concerned with the direction of our country”--They’re not very serious about fixing problems. Serious candidates can and often do bring to light problems and have ideas to address them. Generic answers don’t solve problems. So question candidates especially during the primaries, and also question what motive they might have for wanting that seat. By no means am I saying do a deep dive on them, but do a little background research to see how committed to the role they want to play. Especially if they come out of nowhere and just seem “off”. I mean right now, the only thing that looks normal in the Missouri primaries is the GOP’s nonsense and the chase after the converted seats for state-wide races. Even the Attorney General race has two solid democrats that most of us would be perfectly okay with whoever gets it. But the rest.. I’ll leave that for y’all to decide on. So in the words of Teddy Roosevelt “Let’s put honesty back into public life” and make our democracy work!

As always take care and take care of one another Much love, Jojo