The view from the potato fields
Southeastern Idaho is Republican country. With the exception of a small festering spot of liberalism at Idaho State University in Pocatello, you would have to look pretty far to find a more Republican area.
We know our politicians, too. Senator Mike Crapo lives down the street. The mayor was at Frank's house the other day to get her camera repaired. Russ Matthews, who lives just through the block, was elected to the state legislature (actually he won the primary and is unopposed in the general election). I go to church with him.
The point being that the people who represent us are from among us. With the exception of our congressional delegation and the mayors of our larger cities (about half a dozen), our representatives do other things to earn a living. They farm, sell insurance, raise cattle, fix teeth and so on. They know that the decisions they make have an impact on people because they are not exempt from their own legislative decisions. They know, too, that the federal government is having more and more of an impact on our local economy. That's why it's not an uncommon sight to come around the corner at church and see Mike Crapo leaning up against the wall while a farmer bends his ear about some piece of pending legislation.
I've played baseball with Susan Crapo, held Russ Matthews' little girl on my lap, driven Brian Crapo to the dentist before he was old enough to drive. I know these people and their families. I may agree or disagree about their politics, but I know that their decisions are based on deeply held beliefs. They may change their mind over time, but only because they have considered the issues and are convinced their previous opinion was incorrect.
A couple of years ago for my parent's anniversary I bought them a windmill at the local Cal Store. It stands about 5 feet tall and when the wind blows the fan spins furiously, all the while swinging from side to side, trying to capture every movement of the wind.
Watching it made me think of John Kerry. He has no detectable deeply held beliefs (I consider deeply held beliefs those that impel us forward, pushing us to do things for a greater good that we would not otherwise do). He may say that he does, but a person cannot have that great an inconsistency between beliefs and actions and be able to stand himself! He is like that decorative windmill of my folks: he is constantly shifting positions based on expediency, with his mouth running full speed (the description of the windmill from the link above is most applicable: "Blades spin & tail moves even in a light breeze").
Kerry scares me. He has no common sense. He comes from an insulated world where he doesn't ever feel the friction of real life. Any attempt to make him look like a "regular guy" just turns into a parody because he isn't a "regular guy," he's never been a "regular guy," and he never will be. He's clueless about middle class life. He has spent his whole adult life as a poodle in the lap of wealthy women. Watching him speak (a painful experience at best) is interesting only because, like the windmill, you wonder which direction he will jerk (no pun intended) next. Disconnected from the realities of real life, he can (and does) say things that may appear to make sense, but taken in the larger context are silly at best and often dangerous to our servicemen and damaging to our country.
When Tom Campbell, my high school principal, ran for mayor of Idaho Falls as a Democrat, I voted for him. It wasn't hard because I knew the man and I knew that the label "Democrat" didn't define him. I won't be voting for John Kerry -- he has too many labels that do define him. He's too erratic. He acts on impulse based on what he perceives to be the most popular course of action. Whichever way the wind blows. Just like that little windmill.
We know our politicians, too. Senator Mike Crapo lives down the street. The mayor was at Frank's house the other day to get her camera repaired. Russ Matthews, who lives just through the block, was elected to the state legislature (actually he won the primary and is unopposed in the general election). I go to church with him.
The point being that the people who represent us are from among us. With the exception of our congressional delegation and the mayors of our larger cities (about half a dozen), our representatives do other things to earn a living. They farm, sell insurance, raise cattle, fix teeth and so on. They know that the decisions they make have an impact on people because they are not exempt from their own legislative decisions. They know, too, that the federal government is having more and more of an impact on our local economy. That's why it's not an uncommon sight to come around the corner at church and see Mike Crapo leaning up against the wall while a farmer bends his ear about some piece of pending legislation.
I've played baseball with Susan Crapo, held Russ Matthews' little girl on my lap, driven Brian Crapo to the dentist before he was old enough to drive. I know these people and their families. I may agree or disagree about their politics, but I know that their decisions are based on deeply held beliefs. They may change their mind over time, but only because they have considered the issues and are convinced their previous opinion was incorrect.
A couple of years ago for my parent's anniversary I bought them a windmill at the local Cal Store. It stands about 5 feet tall and when the wind blows the fan spins furiously, all the while swinging from side to side, trying to capture every movement of the wind.
Watching it made me think of John Kerry. He has no detectable deeply held beliefs (I consider deeply held beliefs those that impel us forward, pushing us to do things for a greater good that we would not otherwise do). He may say that he does, but a person cannot have that great an inconsistency between beliefs and actions and be able to stand himself! He is like that decorative windmill of my folks: he is constantly shifting positions based on expediency, with his mouth running full speed (the description of the windmill from the link above is most applicable: "Blades spin & tail moves even in a light breeze").
Kerry scares me. He has no common sense. He comes from an insulated world where he doesn't ever feel the friction of real life. Any attempt to make him look like a "regular guy" just turns into a parody because he isn't a "regular guy," he's never been a "regular guy," and he never will be. He's clueless about middle class life. He has spent his whole adult life as a poodle in the lap of wealthy women. Watching him speak (a painful experience at best) is interesting only because, like the windmill, you wonder which direction he will jerk (no pun intended) next. Disconnected from the realities of real life, he can (and does) say things that may appear to make sense, but taken in the larger context are silly at best and often dangerous to our servicemen and damaging to our country.
When Tom Campbell, my high school principal, ran for mayor of Idaho Falls as a Democrat, I voted for him. It wasn't hard because I knew the man and I knew that the label "Democrat" didn't define him. I won't be voting for John Kerry -- he has too many labels that do define him. He's too erratic. He acts on impulse based on what he perceives to be the most popular course of action. Whichever way the wind blows. Just like that little windmill.
posted by RickOwen | 10:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home