Issues count, candidates matter, and voting does make a
difference.
(In every election but this one, of course.)
Have you noticed that we never seem to have qualified candidates
to vote for? Doesn’t it appear that intelligent, courageous
politicians ““ like Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Bobby
Kennedy ““ are a thing of the past? Well, maybe America is
doomed to mediocrity amongst our leaders and apathy amongst our
citizenry.
Personally, I don’t think so. I believe the same spirit of
excellence that drove past leaders to greatness is visible in the
candidates of today ““ I just think that we, the voters, have
stopped looking for it.
In one week, Californians will head to the polls to pick the
future governor, and get the opportunity to decide between Gray
Davis and Bill Simon. According to a poll conducted by the L.A.
Times, most Californians don’t consider that to be much of a
choice ““ both Simon and Davis received negative marks from
about 60 percent of those polled. Davis, the incumbent, is
considered the “lesser of two evils,” while Simon is
lucky to get any positive feedback from those polled.
Why are voters so put off by this election? I think it’s
because we, the voters, have stopped caring about the issues and
put far too much emphasis on style, at the sacrifice of
substance.
The media reports on what the public wants to know. We
haven’t heard much about Simon’s plan to fix education,
or Davis’ ideas on how to solve the power crisis. Do we know
how Davis feels about abortion rights, or what Simon thinks about
taxes? Probably not. So what have we learned about these two
candidates?
We’ve learned that Davis is boring, and Simon is an
imbecile. More news time has been devoted to Davis’ lack of
charisma, and Simon’s mishandling of his campaign than any
other topics. Two caricatures of candidates have emerged over the
last few months, obscuring two highly qualified men who would bring
different assets to the highest office in the state.
For a moment, let’s put aside all the hype and take a look
at these candidates as real people. Both come from extraordinarily
different backgrounds, and each offers a unique perspective on how
to effectively govern the people of California.
Gray Davis grew up with a semi-abusive father, who left his
family’s finances in ruins. As a young boy, Davis played a
large part in raising his four youngest siblings while earning very
high grades at some of L.A.’s toughest schools. He went on to
graduate top of his class from Stanford before heading to law
school at Columbia. As a California politician, Davis has enjoyed
unparalleled success, losing only one election in more than 20
years as a public servant. Sure, he might be boring, but he is also
an intelligent, ambitious man who knows how to overcome struggles
and hardships in life.
Bill Simon comes from a very different, yet equally impressive
background. Simon also attended top schools, earning very high
grades, but has made his mark in fighting crime as a U.S. Attorney
and as a generous man donating his time, talents and considerable
brain power to philanthropy. Sure, he might have made a few
mistakes along the campaign trail, but don’t forget the years
he spent building a fortune for his family, and providing the
less-fortunate with opportunity.
Neither of our candidates are celebrities. They won’t win
beauty contests, and they might not be the most engaging public
speakers, but they are highly qualified in their own way. So next
week, put aside the images of the candidates you’ve seen in
the media, and focus on the issues and the content of the
candidates’ character.
Issues count, candidates matter, and voting does make a
difference ““ especially in this election.