In addition to considering myself to be nearer to the political center (which I know the partisans on both sides hate to hear – hehe), though perhaps leaning left, I’ve also developed into something of a cynic.
I’ve written before about my draining faith in the abilities of either party to lead effectively, especially on the federal level. However, I also know that due to the dumb way our system is setup, I’ve got to support somebody who’s going to have a chance of winning, even if there’s someone else I might like to support.
I also know that having one party in power for too long is never a good thing. That is why I wasn’t all too surprised to see that the Republicans had taken over in my hometown, after the Democrats have had control for 20 years. Really, I wasn’t too surprised because the writing was on the wall. For the last one or two elections, the new Republican mayor has had the highest amount of votes, but the Dems got to elect the mayor, because they had the majority of members on the Board of Directors.
I think this is a good thing. Now, I’m unsure of what direction the town will take with the new administration, could be better or worse. What I do know is that having one “dynasty,” so to speak, can only lead to complacency and corruption. Consider, if you will, the administration of former Connecticut Governor John Rowland. He effectively disgraced his office by his actions (steering contracts in turn for favors). Now, the Republicans might have taken a hard hit for the office if the new Governor Jodi Rell hadn’t been willing to make reforms in ethics. So, they kept the office at the last election, and she even got a large vote from Democrats.
Likewise, change is needed from time to time in the federal government. I feel that almost anybody would be better than the current President, no matter which party they come from. I think the country needs a new kind of leadership plan, whether is be a Democrat or a “traditional” conservative, who will work to get respect back for this country, which will probably take years to get back.
The Republicans got a wake up call last year when the Dems took over, who…well, aren’t quite living up to it. They’ve got some work to do if they want to keep the Congress. We’ll see how that goes over.
Anyway, my point is, change is good, and necessary in politics. Having one party (or one bi-family dynasty – *ahem*) in power for two long is not good. So, from time to time, fresh blood should come in to shake things up.
Anyway, I guess I consider this my precursor post to the full start of my Election 2008 coverage, which I’ll start somewheres about halfway through December.