Curmudgeon's Corner

Wild Political Season

Posted by Al Campbell on May 11, 2010

Political, Quality of Life, U.S., Wisconsin

Sen. Specter of Pennsylvania switched his allegiance from the Republican Party to the Democrat Party in order to prolong his reign in the Senate.  He has just slipped behind his challenger in the polls for the primary election soon to occur.

Sen. Bennett of Utah was pushed out by his Republican Party during the unique Utah approach where the parties select the candidate rather than the voters making that decision at the “primary” level.  He tearfully acknowledged their decision before the cameras over the week-end.

Sen. Lincoln of Arkansas is in the race of her life.  It seems there is no more television ad time available for purchase as outsiders flood Arkansas with political ads.

This has to be among the most interesting election seasons I can recall since I began voting in 1963.

More politicians have short-circuited the election process that they feared would see them lose by simply announcing that they had decided it was time to go home.  That is happening in state level races as well as in national races.

There is a decided level of unrest amongst the voters.  The only real question that remains is just how deep this level of unrest flows and just how it will manifest itself come Election Day this fall.

Beyond this, of course, lays the question of just what, if anything, those returning to office or not standing for re-election this time around will take away from this high level of political unrest.  Will this actually cause some change in the way we’re being governed?  Will it serve as a warning shot across the bow for those politicians who previously believed they were institutions?  Will this somehow help some politicians to better understand that they are not impervious to our scorn?

Truth be told, no one knows just how the electorate will vote this fall, but the run-up is very exciting and seems to foretell that this election will be a real wake-up call for many politicians.

Maybe we’ll actually see some residual effect on the way we’re governed this time; maybe the politicos, old and new, will actually do our bidding this time instead of falling into lockstep behind their party leaders.  If they don’t, this level of unrest could well extend to 2012…and maybe that is actually what we really need to accomplish a clean sweep.