Flipping A Coin

At the start of this piece, there is a little less than 50 hours until the polls open on Monday.  Not going to be the best weather day for an election, at least according to the forecast I just looked at.  Simple personal observation from past years is the less sun out on election days, the likelihood of less of a turnout.  Throw in rain, and that can drive the turnout down.

It shouldn't be a factor, but it always seems to be.  Of course this is only Saturday morning, by the time Monday roles around, who knows what the forecast will be.

One thing for sure, a storm is coming is probably a good long range forecast.  Whether it is a storm that will eventually wash away much of the turmoil and division we have been experiencing, or it is one that will linger over our town for some time to come, bringing more ill weather is yet to be seen.

Post election is going to be very interesting in this town.  First, as is the case the elected candidates are all going to claim, or at least feel, that their election equates to public endorsement of their positions.  I can all ready hear the cries of "the will of the voters".

Just what does the will of the voters mean.  At it's simplest, and most complex, it means you got more votes than the other candidates from those people who went out to vote.

Losers are often quick to point out that it doesn't mean the will of the people, and this is usually based on the fact you can't even get a majority of registered voters to go to the polls to vote.  To me there is a bit of sour grapes in that argument.

As a candidate, part of your tasks is in fact to motivate people to go to the polls and vote for you.  If people don't vote, they have voluntarily chosen to acquiesce in the election of someone by others.  You can't complain about losing because people did not go out and vote.  Not my ideal situation however it is a reality.

Another part of that reality is that while there is a bit of sour grapes in that argument, there is also some truth to it.  Depending on the actual percentage of voters that do go to the polls, one can make a very serious mistake in assuming the fact that being elected automatically equates to a mandate.

When you win, the one thing to remember is while those who didn't vote may have "acquiesced" in your election, proceeding solely on the platform that got you elected could very well turn out to be a disaster.

Why this particular observation?

No matter who is elected, you are going to face some prolonged scrutiny.  In today's day and age, statements made, literature distributed, comments posted, do not disappear.  Candidates have made so lofty statements, be they ones you feel support one side or the other of the coin on a issue.

While people stay away from the polls in "majority numbers, at such time as matters begin to affect them, the4y will in fact come out.  What we have seen recently is not unique.  The fact that you receive a majority of a minority of voters, is not a grant of the entitlement of carte blanche. 

Think about this.  Assuming that, and hopefully, my turnout prediction is wrong, and the town in fact hits 40%, conceivably you are looking at a selectman being elected by no more than 11% of the total voters in town (for all the math majors, I know it could technically in fact be less).

This would in no way be any grounds to question the validity of candidate's election.  Eligible voters make a choice either to be counted or stay home.  The point is the fact that once elected, an individual has to keep in mind not only his core constituency, but must also remember all those who did not vote for him or her.  

Quite honestly, if you listen to what everyone has said at the forums, what is in their literature, and you ignore the bashing going on by people supporting the different candidates, assuming each and every candidate did what they said they were going to do you might as well just flip a coin to make your decision.

But obviously there is more involved than just that, as there should be.

One thing you might want to look at today is an exceptionally good piece in the S-T today.  It is an opinion piece entitled "It may be 'politics', but it still works". Like to here from someone who disagrees with the opinion in that piece.  Would be an interesting insight.

I am going back to issues raised when I first began doing this daily exercise.  The simple fact that what is going on right now in town, is an example of the political process at its best and worst.  Both aspects of which can be found in past elections and will be found in future elections.

Of course right now we are dealing with the process of getting a politician elected.  Make no mistake about it, everyone running to be elected is a politician.  Some may be new at it, but every one of them is a politician.

As to that ugly concept of being backed by the machine, well there are only one or two candidates who can probably state they do not have a machine behind them. Some may have a brand new machine working for them, others may have more entrenched machines, but most in fact have a machine.  

For those of you ready to write in protest, let us save each other some time and simply agree to disagree.     I am not making the statement to criticize any candidate for having one.  It takes a strong, organized effort to get elected.

I will also say this, for the most part, the candidates themselves have managed to actually keep it clean.  

It is a different story for some of their supporters however.  The shame of it is from what I do know of the candidates, I seriously doubt that they, at least all most all of them, as individuals would endorse some of the actions or statements of their supporters, or would themselves as individuals make similar statements.

But in today's day and age, as in the past, people are painted with a broad brush, and the unfortunate reality is too often a decision to vote is solely based on who does support support a candidate.    That decision is as often as not to vote against a candidate because of who supports them.

Politics is a nasty, bloody exercise.  The tactics in this election have shown it.  Whether you couch your positions or accusations in flowery speech, in the form of questions clearly formed for specific purposes, or hide behind noble concepts for personal political agendas, it does change the fact you are engaging in that blood sport, and seem to have excelled at the tactics often complained of.  

Whether cast in 50 cent words or gutter speech, mudslinging is mudslinging.

Those of you who win tomorrow, I sincerely hope you honor your statements.  Those of you who lose, I also hope you continue to stay involved.  It does in fact take an active and involved citizenry to keep our political and governmental process healthy and vibrant. 

The largest defect in the process, the one that will be the hardest to fix is the apathy of those who choose not to vote.

In closing, finishing this post a day after I started it, it seems that the weather forecast has changed.  Cool tomorrow, but dry.  The good weather, subject to change in forecast, but in fact go a long way in forecasting the direction of our town for years to come.  Make the effort, get out and vote and get everyone you can to do the same.

For those who do turn out tomorrow, my thanks in advance.