David Roth for Idaho
US
Inactive
The Committee to Elect David Roth
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Another weekend is over and done with as we march toward November 3rd. For all intents and purposes there are 15 days left in the campaign.
It seems ironic to me that elections are so divisive, because in reality the winner of the election is the one who can appeal to the middle. I have my base, and my opponent has his. We count on the support of our base to be there while we try to find the middle ground. That is where it gets interesting.
This middle ground is where it is so important to get to know our voters as well as introduce ourselves to them. I believe that the voters in the middle are probably the most tuned in to the actual needs of the community. Why? They take the time to listen to and get to know both sides of issues. They don't only see red or blue and they recognize that some times the answer is red, sometimes it is blue, sometimes it is purple, and sometimes it is none of the above. And although the middle is the most critical group of people in the election cycle they seem to be all but forgotten when legislators are sworn in a few short months later.
The middle is then pushed to the back burner for another 2 years until which time we promise to never do that to them again. The cycle repeats over and over.
This weekend, though, I had a couple of conversations that give me hope. Hope that this, the most unique election of my lifetime, might bring forth a new era of understanding and cooperation. Saturday night my sons and I went to dinner with one of my good friends since childhood and her son. I always get to the restaurant early because it seems to take forever to get a table on a Saturday night. While we were waiting a gentleman on the other side of waiting area saw my "Roth for State Legislature" mask and asked if I was David.
It was kind of funny because his wife told him not to bother me and he replied, "He is running to represent us and I have some questions." I explained that it was no bother and it actually made the wait for the table pass by quickly. He indicated that he was undecided as there has been so little to go on this year. We talked about several issues, agreed on many things and disagreed on others. Did I earn his vote? I honestly don't know and I did not ask. I figured we were there for dinner not a political gala. I walked away with some new perspectives to consider and so did he. It reminded me of the obligation that we have as candidates to make our views and positions known.
Our founders intended that an informed population would elect representatives that shared their common interests and ideas. How do we determine what the common interests and ideas are when instead of putting ourselves out there and letting the voters decide we wait for the voters to tell us what they want and then promise to do "that" whatever "that" is.
I did have another conversation via email where I was reminded that running for office should be about building trust. Building that trust starts with being transparent and accountable. Those middle voters do have the right to "bother" us with their questions and has someone seeking office we should not view it as a bother, rather we should be grateful that our voters care enough to have questions. I can't make my stance on every single issue clear, because lets face it the world has a lot of issues, but I try to make enough of my positions clear so you can fairly judge me. And if you have a specific question lets talk about it. I can't guarantee that I will always give you the answer you agree with. I hope, though, that when we talk about issues you will weigh the answers you don't agree with against the answers that you do. Then you will have to make your own decision. There is one thing that I can absolutely guarantee you. If you want a candidate that you agree with 100% of the time you will only get that by putting your own name on the ballot. That is just the way that it works.
You should get some sort of reward for reading all the way to the end of this post. And guess what? You do. Your reward is that you are now a voter more informed about one candidate trying to earn your vote. I know, chocolate would have been better.
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