Fish Bones

I think most of us have encountered a few bones in a delicious piece of fish … not enough to spoil the meal, but still a small blot on our prandial perfection.  This irritation also occurs in politics. Often, someone running for political office, who espouses views that are mostly congruent with our value system, still may have a few quirks that cause us to think twice.  He doesn’t believe in evolution.  She, on religious grounds, opposes abortion or gay marriage.  He once smoked marijuana or used cocaine.

The question then becomes … do we let perfection become the enemy of the good?  I believe too often we do … particularly if this political-office aspirant's quirk is belittled in the media. Isn’t it funny?  Pope Francis can be against abortion but he is for income redistribution … so he is an OK fellow.  Whereas a Tea Party member, who wants to rein in big government, yet mimics Pope Francis on this social issue, is castigated by the national media and then by the voters.

It constantly amazes me how much influence the media can have in public opinion formation.  We are witnessing this dynamic at work today in the brouhaha surrounding Governor Chris Christie.  He has a very strong personality and likes to have his political way … often the conservative way.  And yet he still won an overwhelming re-election victory in a deep blue state, New Jersey.  But, as soon as he starts edging out Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential polls, these assets are suddenly turned into liabilities.  I am fascinated watching how the media is trying to pull off this legerdemain.

We voters certainly are a fickled bunch … that’s why we too often stick with fish-fillet candidates.

Afterthought: Actually there are people who won't eat fish at all because of the bones.  The analog in this context is the single-issue voter.  ("if you don't pay for my birth control, you won'y get my vote!")  Such are the bane of the democratic process.