Ray Gottwald's Blog

It's Just Politics

IT'S JUST POLITICS

I'm a bit confused about political standards? Aren't you?   Watching the presidential primary race this past winter and spring and now the general election, I'm often thinking how much "slack" we give candidates and their campaigns.

 I mean we 're  supposed to totally forgive candidates for their lapse's in ethical standards and values; accept things we would find hard to forgive within our own families. Have we degenerated to the point that we have no standards or values in politics?

One of my core belief's  is that, "a candidate and their campaign is a reflection of the candidate."

I view myself as a spiritual and religious person but I hear an awful lot of rhetoric from those who talk about their religious values. This goes for candidates on both sides on the aisle. What has happened to a civil discourse and a debate on the merit of the issues? Is it any wonder that so little get done in Congress with all the party bickering.

One of my core belief's  is that, "a candidate and their campaign is a reflection of the candidate."  If they compromise our sense of  "right and wrong" and our own personal values, we don't have to support them." What someone is about-----their inner core, their reason for running for office is just as important as their stand on the issues.

As  Senator Joe Biden said, "elected officials are no more important than the citizens who put them in office."   Maybe we should stop elevating them and treating them as members of a privileged class.  A  good number of our elected officials and candidates should stop acting like they are better than the rest of us. My dad the late Joseph Gottwald always told me "that humility is important in life and don't take yourself too seriously." Thanks for giving me good advice Dad.