This morning, I woke up feeling much better than I have in a very long time. I imagine I'll feel much the same way on January 3rd, when the 110th Congress is officially sworn in, and the real work begins.
However, let us not forget those members of our community, and our allies, who will not be joining them. Let us also not forget that we have another election coming up in "just" two years' time, and that it will be here before anyone expects it. With this in mind, I would like to tell you a true story that I think offers a few lessons for a game plan for the next couple of years (and, hopefully, beyond).
Recently, an organization which I belong to (that I will
not identify) held elections for next year's executive officers. For each position, each candidate had a chance to speak and answer questions, then an "infinite" discussion ensued until people considered themselves ready to vote. In retrospect, we'd probably be much better off, at least on a local scale, with this sort of election process, but I digress...
The first four races went as expected, with two candidates per race and distinctions between them becoming obvious during the often-lengthy discussions. Then came the fifth, and final race, with three candidates. The first candidate was very inexperienced, but had been pressured to run by other members whose opinion he respected. The second candidate had nearly every qualification possible for a non-incumbent, and I considered him a shoo-in. The third candidate was a perennial candidate who, while experienced, was not considered a serious contender.
The discussion started off acknowledging the illegitimacy of the third candidate, but soon took an incredibly surprising turn. Instead of agreeing that candidate two's qualifications made the race a no-brainer, people started singing the praises of candidate one. His personality was ideal for the position, went the general argument. Eventually, the discussion died down, and votes were taken.
The winner of the election, to my great surprise, was candidate one.
This story can teach us a few things. First off, sometimes it doesn't matter how good your qualifications; (with all due respect to the other members of the organization) people just make irrational decisions at times. I still think candidate two would have done a better job than one, but a majority (rather, at least a plurality) disagreed. It is important to point out, however, that nobody really knows how candidate one will perform during the next year.
What is certain is that a significant mishap in office will lead to either a call for resignation (which may actually be answered), a decision not to run again, or certain defeat if he does choose to run. This, of course, is the value of electoral democracy. It probably is not possible to have a process this honest at any level of public office, but hey, one can hope, right?
Finally, it is important to note that the best candidate may very well be the most reluctant. I remember reading a novel a few years ago (Arthur C Clarke's Imperial Earth, if I'm not mistaken) that was set in 2276; the World Presidency was selected based on the above idea.
Keeping these lessons in mind, here is my advice to any candidate who is considering a run in 2008, whether defeated yesterday or not:
- Start working NOW. Not necessarily campaigning, but work to get your name out. Make nonpartisan, positive contributions to your community. Help people directly, and make a good impression on them. Make them think that you're perfectly suited to the job.
- If you screw up (which you inevitably will), deal with it honestly. Next cycle, the Republicans will do anything and everything to get their power back.
- If you hear a friend complaining about things, encourage them to run. Also, encourage their friends to encourage them as well. People in that situation may be more likely to run an honest, authentic campaign that will more likely win.
I'll close with this: whether you run next cycle or not, our work has just begun. I look forward to the journey.