Look before you vote
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 9/28/14
The last time I checked, just about everybody is still griping about that lame bunch of politicians we keep sending to Washington. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 78 percent of likely voters thought that we should replace every one of those bums in the U.S. Congress so we can start all over with new faces and fresh perspectives.
The funny thing is that when voters get the opportunity to replace their elected representative, nobody does. Well over 90 percent of incumbent U.S. Representatives and Senators who run get reelected. So it seems that what everybody really wants is to keep their elected official and get rid of everyone else's. Human nature, I guess.
Still, in an enlightened democracy, especially one struggling to find common ground, we should never vote without looking at all the options. In today's fractured government, we should look harder than ever, since "hope and change" needs to be more than a slogan — it's what we need to thrive and prosper as a nation.
Getting people in Boulder to look around has become harder since we became a one-party county in the 1980s. Democrats have won all partisan Boulder elections for decades. There's nothing wrong with that as long as the Democratic candidates' and local voters' positions stay aligned.
But, if "I vote for Democrats because they must be good" is as far as your thinking goes, you're part of the problem, not the solution.
For starters, we vote for people, not parties, and there are lots of good people out there who deserve a look. It makes no more sense to dismiss a candidate because of their party affiliation than it does to dismiss a candidate because they run a business or work for the government. A truly independent-minded voter will always look at the individual, not just their party affiliation, before voting.
Plus, political parties change. Throughout the 150-plus year history that Republicans and Democrats have been dominating American politics, the parties have often changed sides on issues. The first President to use anti-trust law to take a hard whack at monopolistic capitalism? A Republican, Teddy Roosevelt. The President who implemented and fought for affirmative action as a way to equalize minority opportunities? Richard Nixon, another Republican. Who is starting this year's war in the Middle East? Barack Obama. Political parties change their platforms, and these evolutions occur over years and decades, not centuries.
Now is the time to look around and see who's out there, not default to a party line. In American politics, if you want hope and change, it's up to you, the voter, to figure out where to go get it, not just trust some party hack to bring it to you.
For example, our U.S. Congressional election for the 2nd Congressional District has finally become interesting. Until 2012, the 2nd CD was sufficiently gerrymandered that whoever the Democrats nominated was guaranteed a win. But, after the 2010 census, the 2nd CD became much more competitive. When races get competitive, the quality of the competitors rises, so this year the Republicans have put forward their best candidate since Bob Greenlee ran against Mark Udall in 1998. George Leing, the Republican candidate for the 2nd CD, is a breath of fresh air coming out of a local Republican party that has struggled to bring candidates to Boulder voters that are more than token opposition. George grew up in an immigrant family, spent time working as an attorney in the renewable power industry, and supports socially liberal positions. His campaign message focuses on the core Republican theme of making government work for people and not the other way around. Jared Polis, while having done many good things for Colorado, is a multi-millionaire who has used his wealth to get elected by spending about seven times the national average to win his seat in 2008. Last year, Rep. Polis formed his Fearless Political Action Committee to increase his influence in Congress by funding the campaigns of liberal candidates. All of this is completely legal, but something Boulder voters have demonstrated they don't particularly like. Rep. Polis refuses to engage George Leing in the most democratic institution of all, a public debate.
It's not hard to look around. Read a newspaper, check a few websites, and ask your friends a few questions, and you'll know plenty. But, if you view yourself as independent-minded as most Coloradan's do, look before you vote.
The last time I checked, just about everybody is still griping about that lame bunch of politicians we keep sending to Washington. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 78 percent of likely voters thought that we should replace every one of those bums in the U.S. Congress so we can start all over with new faces and fresh perspectives.
The funny thing is that when voters get the opportunity to replace their elected representative, nobody does. Well over 90 percent of incumbent U.S. Representatives and Senators who run get reelected. So it seems that what everybody really wants is to keep their elected official and get rid of everyone else's. Human nature, I guess.
Still, in an enlightened democracy, especially one struggling to find common ground, we should never vote without looking at all the options. In today's fractured government, we should look harder than ever, since "hope and change" needs to be more than a slogan — it's what we need to thrive and prosper as a nation.
Getting people in Boulder to look around has become harder since we became a one-party county in the 1980s. Democrats have won all partisan Boulder elections for decades. There's nothing wrong with that as long as the Democratic candidates' and local voters' positions stay aligned.
But, if "I vote for Democrats because they must be good" is as far as your thinking goes, you're part of the problem, not the solution.
For starters, we vote for people, not parties, and there are lots of good people out there who deserve a look. It makes no more sense to dismiss a candidate because of their party affiliation than it does to dismiss a candidate because they run a business or work for the government. A truly independent-minded voter will always look at the individual, not just their party affiliation, before voting.
Plus, political parties change. Throughout the 150-plus year history that Republicans and Democrats have been dominating American politics, the parties have often changed sides on issues. The first President to use anti-trust law to take a hard whack at monopolistic capitalism? A Republican, Teddy Roosevelt. The President who implemented and fought for affirmative action as a way to equalize minority opportunities? Richard Nixon, another Republican. Who is starting this year's war in the Middle East? Barack Obama. Political parties change their platforms, and these evolutions occur over years and decades, not centuries.
Now is the time to look around and see who's out there, not default to a party line. In American politics, if you want hope and change, it's up to you, the voter, to figure out where to go get it, not just trust some party hack to bring it to you.
For example, our U.S. Congressional election for the 2nd Congressional District has finally become interesting. Until 2012, the 2nd CD was sufficiently gerrymandered that whoever the Democrats nominated was guaranteed a win. But, after the 2010 census, the 2nd CD became much more competitive. When races get competitive, the quality of the competitors rises, so this year the Republicans have put forward their best candidate since Bob Greenlee ran against Mark Udall in 1998. George Leing, the Republican candidate for the 2nd CD, is a breath of fresh air coming out of a local Republican party that has struggled to bring candidates to Boulder voters that are more than token opposition. George grew up in an immigrant family, spent time working as an attorney in the renewable power industry, and supports socially liberal positions. His campaign message focuses on the core Republican theme of making government work for people and not the other way around. Jared Polis, while having done many good things for Colorado, is a multi-millionaire who has used his wealth to get elected by spending about seven times the national average to win his seat in 2008. Last year, Rep. Polis formed his Fearless Political Action Committee to increase his influence in Congress by funding the campaigns of liberal candidates. All of this is completely legal, but something Boulder voters have demonstrated they don't particularly like. Rep. Polis refuses to engage George Leing in the most democratic institution of all, a public debate.
It's not hard to look around. Read a newspaper, check a few websites, and ask your friends a few questions, and you'll know plenty. But, if you view yourself as independent-minded as most Coloradan's do, look before you vote.
