(DELANEY) Oh no, not again!
Oh yes! I’m afraid so.
Those words are about the last you would ever expect from someone who – like me- enjoys politics so much. But you know, sometimes enough really is enough. When Governor Jim Douglas stunned us some weeks back with the announcement that he wouldn’t run for another term, it took mere nanoseconds for wannabe governors to pop up all over the place and declare themselves not only ready to serve, but the best choice for the job. Of course for the moment the candidates are coy, declaring that, before seriously offering themselves, they must consult with their many advisors, and maybe Aunt Mary or Cousin Irwin too. In fact the candidates are more like wallflowers at the prom. They pretend not to be interested in someone asking them to dance, but really, they would sell their grandmothers if only someone would.
Forums for governor candidates have already been announced. If the whole crowd of candidates shows up they may have to draw straws for parking. Do you suppose the sponsors of these events are confused? That they think this is 2010, an election year, and not 2009, a year off!?
Am I being too harsh on all the wannabe governors, lieutenant governors, and so forth, in our vibrant Vermont democracy? I don’t think so. Look at the calendar. We are closer to last year’s elections than to next year’s. Now, I loved the last one. I thought some of the debates among presidential candidates were fascinating, Ms. Clinton and Barack Obama especially. I even went over to New Hampshire for two weeks to help a presidential candidate. Take it from me, that’s real excitement and grassroots democracy.
But by November I pooped out. I’d had enough and I wanted my real life back. So I’m not ready to see and hear it start up again so soon.
Besides, our Vermont politicians are pretty dull. They’re good folks but they could lighten up a bit. Down in South Carolina they have a governor who slips off every so often to Argentina to tryst with an Argentine soul mate. His wife isn’t too happy about that. But on the other hand I’ll bet there are a lot of South Carolinians, down at the bowling alley or over at the coffee shop, who were highly entertained by their governor’s shenanigans. Has a Vermont governor ever done anything so wild and crazy? Well, in a recent newspaper our governor was shown trying on a hat.
I think our politicians sometimes forget that we Vermonters are real people, not abstractions, that we live in a beautiful place but a tough one in which to make a living, take care of the kids, pay the mortgage and have a good life.
Our country lays honest claim to being the planet’s most vibrant democracy but I think our latest crop of candidates – whatever their personal style – should give us a break. It’s too soon.
(TAG) You can find more commentaries by Dennis Delaney on line at VPR-dot-net.