It’s an election year so, naturally, everywhere we turn we’re inundated with politics, and, again, naturally, about the time Election Day rolls around, we’ll have had it up to here with all the radio and TV ads, pundits slamming candidates, candidates beating up on each other.
It’s no secret that this country, this state even, is split, with the two major parties ideologically farther away from one another than ever before, and there’s no end in sight for reconciliation on any meaningful level. That doesn’t say good things about effective government.
So maybe it’s time to pay less attention to party affiliation and start looking at the candidates themselves — what they stand for, what they’re willing to work hard for and how capable they are of getting the job done once in office. That may mean sticking to their guns when it comes to a certain issue; it may mean compromise on another.
For some reason, in the past several years, the word compromise joined the lexicon of words inutterable in public — a dirty word, if you will. It’s been made so by people who so solidly adhere to one view or the other that they are no longer capable of seeing what’s good for the people they serve. But compromise is at the root of effective government. People incapable of compromise, therefore, are not effective legislators.
Our elected officials serve us, the public, more than they should serve any ideology. They should push our interests more than they should push a party agenda — on a local, state and federal level.
Get to know your candidates. If you missed last night’s candidates forum at the Beaufort County Community College, you can watch the video on the Washington Daily News website, www.wdnweb.com. Find out what they really think about the major issues affecting eastern North Carolina and go to the polls armed with knowledge, not campaign propaganda.