I want to preface this by saying to some of you who know me, do NOT assume that this post is what or who may you think it's about. Well, maybe, but only partially.
If you want to run for public office in Shelby County, but ESPECIALLY if you are running in a partisan race as a Democrat, or in a non-partisan race with primarily Democratic support, I have some rules I want to lay down.
1. Do NOT run for office if your main purpose is to obtain employment. I am serious, look at Roscoe Dixon, for crissakes. he never got a REAL job until he left the Lege, and he lost that because of crap he pulled while he was IN the Lege. I like Roscoe, folks, and I don't want to kick a man while he's down, but would-be candidates need to pay close attention. I spent six years on the ExecCom and saw candidate after candidate run for office for that reason, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
2. Make sure you are in good enough financial shape that you can handle giving up your job for a while in order to run. Also, see #1.
3. Make sure that your spouse or significant other is OK with this and is ready to help; this can be VERY trying on relationships.
4. If you have a spouse or a significant other, make damn sure you don't have BOTH simultaneously; this can lead to disaster. PERIOD.
5. Make damn sure that you understand that when you run for office, you are NOT running to help your donors or workers BEFORE you help your constituents. PERIOD.
6. You ABSOLUTELY have to watch how you act in public, even when it's just you and your friends or family or campaign workers; you NEVER know who's watching you.
7. Democrats in Shelby County, regardless of race, creed, or color, are tired of being made the state's laughingstocks by the action of their public officials. In short, candidates and/or officials, let me sum it up for you:
DON'T.
FUCK.
UP.
PERIOD.
I am reminded of a saying by the late, liberal, and lamented Speaker of the California General Assembly, Jesse Unruh:
"If you can't drink a lobbyist's whiskey, take his money, sleep with his women and still vote against him in the morning, you don't belong in politics."
That's been slightly doctored, of course, but you get the picture. Oh, and don't screw around unless you're single. PERIOD.
5 comments:
Nice ALLCAPS. They add force to your emphatic rant.
Good advice.
"If you can't drink a lobbyist's whiskey, take his money, sleep with his women and still vote against him in the morning, you don't belong in politics."
That's what I'm talking about. The fringe benefits of politics rule!
Great Post!
It's about time somebody SAID it out loud.
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