THE BUSINESS OF AMERICA IS POLITICS

Whether you are a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or Independent, Labor Day marks the traditional beginning of the political season. This is when most Americans begin to pay attention to what is going on, and start to make up their minds who to support or not support.

While Election Day is still the first Tuesday in November, campaign time is compressed with the advent of widespread absentee voting. Candidates are now forced to view two election days…the one in November, and the first day of absentee voting the last week of September. Some states have eliminated Election Day altogether, replacing it with a date that mail-in votes must be received. The wisdom of that type of election procedure is an argument for another day.

No matter what, America owes a debt of gratitude to those who are in the trenches fighting the good fight for their point of view and/or their party. It is a thankless job for the workers, and for the candidates. Politicians are ranked in disdained professions right along with used car salesmen. The truth of the matter is America is lucky we have anyone at all willing to submit themselves to a grueling schedule fraught with criticism, abuse, and long hours. I once belonged to an organization that ran an outside festival. It tried to ban political booths saying we don’t need those politicians out harassing the patrons. My response: America demands that the voters meet the candidates, and banning these fool hearty brave souls was un-American. I won my point.

While the public wakes up to an election in the fall, for the candidate and his/her paid staff and volunteers, the work begins a year or more in advance. There are so many factions that have to be appeased from party mucky mucks to current officeholders to family members begging you not to do it. And more likely than not, there is no money, and the candidate is clueless as to how much money is needed and the difficulty in raising it.

If you are a newbie candidate, you will begin the campaign with one set of expectations as to how things work, and end it with another swearing you will never run for office again. The only thing worse than politics in the general population is politics within the political party! At the end of the day, it is the latter that gains you access to what meager funds may be available through the party itself and the attendant party faithful. For example, if you want to run for Congress, the party congressional committees will not even consider a donation to you unless you have raised several hundreds of thousands dollars yourself. And that works all the way down to trustee, council, and Board of Election candidates. They will slap you on the back, but tell you to run a “grassroots campaign.” Translated: Good Luck!!!!

Here is the truth about money. You can do nothing without it. Your friends won’t give you ten bucks, and when you manage to score some funds from some person or entity, you are viewed as somehow being dirty. Ever wonder how elected officials grow to disdain the electorate? Try raising money for anything. Here in Mahoning County, to do one mailing to a list of likely voters will cost in excess of $15,000.00…that’s for one mailing. A one week radio campaign worth anything will approach $10,000.00, and we won’t even talk about television.

The good news is that within both of the major political parties is a small but dedicated group of volunteers who still believe that things can be made better by a given candidate, and the country is blessed to have this dedicated group of stalwarts. Some of these guys work 18 hour days, pay their own expenses, and get little if any reward when the campaign is over.

This fall is probably the most important off year election in this country’s history. The vast majority of you know my political positions. But I am here to tell you now that notwithstanding your political beliefs, when a candidate comes banging on your door, listen to what he has to say. When you open your mail, pick one candidate you can support and send him a check. Or send a check to the LOCAL party of your choice. All politics is local, and your contribution can make a difference at the local level. MAKE IT A BIG CHECK!!!!!

Politics isn’t a dirty business…it’s America’s business. Particpate!!!