I bet you’re sad that you haven’t been inundated by political ads in this off-year for elections. I’m here to remind you that it won’t last long. We’re about a year away from another presidential election!
After reading about different characters who might be running for the highest office in the land, I looked up what it takes to run for President of the United States. After all, people always tell you that you can do anything if you work at it and want it enough, right? So maybe it would be time for me to run for President.
One needs to be at least 35 years old. No problem. Born in the US and lived here for at least 14 years? Yes and yes. So I should be able to get on a ballot, right?
Not so fast. You need to tell people you are a candidate and spend at least $5000. Then there is a ton of paperwork you need to complete with the Federal Election Commission. And all this faces timelines from when you first declare interest in the office.
As you move through a potential primary season, the amount of money you have to raise to even be noticed or acknowledged goes up. The Republican candidates that wanted to participate in the debates had to place high enough in polls and have a minimum number of donations. For the upcoming debate, those numbers include 4% or higher in at least two national polls and at least 70,000 people contributing to your campaign.
I don’t know 70,000 people.
I understand all the hoops to jump through. Otherwise, we’d have a ballot with 1000 names for one position. But it’s a bit daunting when you might have someone who’s very qualified and might do a good job, but they don’t grease enough palms and schmooze with the wealthy and famous people who are behind successful campaigns.
Do I really want to be President? No, of course not.
Do I want somebody in there who can do a good job? Yes, of course. But it seems like the people who raise enough money and get enough votes are usually not the best people for the job.
Let’s be honest. We all know that we’ll have a repeat of the 2020 election with Joe Biden and Donald Trump facing off. That was a circus the last time around, and I don’t think there are many people who actually, truly think that either of them is the right person for the job. But they are the big names, and that’s what the two major parties will go with.
The problem now with both sides of the aisle is an unwillingness to work together for the common good unless there’s a deadline, like keeping the government funded. It’s maddening to see the poor example our elected officials give on compromise. Only certain people get to sit down and make the decisions when it’s a split government, as it is now.
Even when one party holds sway, like in Minnesota, many are excluded. I’m not just talking about the Republican minority here either. There are also Democrats who don’t get a chance to be heard. The moderates, both at the state and federal level, are not heard enough. And those are the people who probably represent the majority of voters. The far left and far right are a minority, but somehow, they seem to control too much. Just look at the mess for Speaker of the House. Both at the start of the term and the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, a small group has kept business from being completed.
I look at how we completed contract negotiations this year between our teachers’ union and the school district for a better example. Both sides presented ideas. We discussed the pros and cons of the ideas, both in our individual groups and then together at the table. Both sides treated each other with respect. There were ideas that, upon first hearing them, my first thought was no. But working through the process, we reached compromise in areas that left both sides feeling like they won.
Win-win seems like an endangered concept in government. Neither side ever wants to admit that they gave in, even a little bit. And why not? What do the American people want? They want a country where, like our school district negotiations, everyone can feel respected, validated, and happy. Both the teachers and the school district felt that way when we were done with our contract. Maybe some of our government officials should visit to find out how to do that. It’s really not that difficult.
I strive to have my students do this in class. Some of my 7th graders are just finishing up a persuasive essay. They are required to look at both sides of the issue. There are even times where they discover that the best answer is not this side or that side, but rather, taking the best of both sides and really making a difference.
Meanwhile, I’ll put aside any aspirations to run for President. After all, at the age of 50, I’m clearly much too young to be taken into serious consideration.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is presenteeism, which means the practice of being present at work when it’s unnecessary or counterproductive, as in, “The representative felt like being in chambers was a form of presenteeism since nothing could get done without a Speaker of the House.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!