The Field Narrows

I’ll admit to it: I am a Politics Nerd.

Always have been, I think, at least since high school anyway, and maybe even before that. I came by the condition honestly. Both my parents loved the game and were each elected to local public office in their day. A good many of their friends who would be guests in our home were, somehow or other, connected to municipal or state governments. (Richard Fulton, who was my Mom’s classmate at East High School, even went to Congress and came back as our Mayor.)

For me, politics became important and also like a sport. My eventual absorption in it extended into, through, and past my own time on staff at the local newspaper. Of course, there I learned from masters, who understood politics innately, followed it closely as it related to power centers in the city, and they also wrote beautifully about it. 

At some point, it gets to be a chronic condition: You get to wondering who might run for Senate in other states, or for mayor in Chicago or Memphis, or Columbia or Carthage. At some level, it all matters: It’s how communities organize themselves. They either move forward or they don’t. We have, to be sure, seen both types here in Nashville over time.

All of this is partly why I not only vote but follow the race for President in all its manifestations, twists and turns:  The caucuses, the primaries, which candidates are making progress, who’s not. Because of my condition, I even zoomed in on the live news coverage of those Iowa caucuses of two weeks ago and actually understood what was going down in all those gyms and church basements. That nobody could count it at the end of the night was, for me, merely a detail.

The Democratic debates this season have been fun to follow, too – and especially that one broadcast from Las Vegas on Wednesday night this week. By now, the field has been winnowed sufficiently – down to six women and men – that we can actually grasp distinctions in candidate style and substance. This race remains a moving target, of course, but some clarity is emerging. Three observations…

·      For all the clamor and coverage of Mike Bloomberg bringing his billions into the race, and how his campaign has been hiring staff across the country, I was shocked at how un-prepared he was for some obvious questions about his record (e.g., the multiple NDAs with former employees, that stop-and-frisk policy when he was mayor of NYC).

·      In contrast, Sen. Elizabeth Warren seemed utterly prepared – and especially for Bloomberg. It was her finest hour so far.

·      The clashes between Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar were somewhat hard to watch, but also refreshing. In my view these are two outstanding candidates, very smart, and either could be a transformative president.

Of course, it’s much too early to expect any clarity as to outcome. That may not come until the national convention. So be it. But it’s good to be paying attention along the way.

And it’s good to remember, too, even as we hear the personal attacks, that no candidate is perfect. To wait for one without flaws is to wait for one who is not coming. Neither Superwoman nor Superman is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves, judging as best we can.

There are months to go before the November election, with its verdict on whether President Trump gets a second term. But early voting is underway now across Tennessee ahead of our presidential preference primary on March 3 - our part in Super Tuesday, which helps determine who will run against Trump. Especially this time around, it’s important for us all to participate this year, whenever the polls open.

I’ve already voted. Have you?