Each major election cycle, we begin examining the potential candidates, hoping that our favorite will secure the nomination. Late at night, over a glass of wine, a beer, or a cup of tea or coffee, we debate the pros and cons of all the candidates, including our own.
We scrutinize them carefully, yet we can’t seem to find the perfect candidate. There are always a few issues that don’t align with our purist positions.
There has never been a candidate who is universally considered «perfect.» But what do we really need in a candidate to work with once they’re elected?
So, what do we do? Do we reject all of them, write in an alternate name, or choose someone from a so-called third or independent party, allowing us to claim that we were morally correct?
Meanwhile, the candidate you disagree with most manages to win, thanks to your and others’ votes lost in the wind, giving them the victory.
Then, for the next four years, you’re left demanding justice, human rights, animal rights, plant rights and find yourself protesting alone.
If we want the perfect candidate, perhaps we should all run for office. Personally, though, I’m hesitant to do so because of the many closets in my life that house my mistakes—those I’ve hurt, those who needed my voice when I remained silent—and who knows how many other errors my opponents could use against me and my campaign.
Thus, I know I must find a candidate, or candidates, with whom my allies and I can lobby, apply pressure, and secure concessions that will help others. We may not get everything we want, but at least we’ll have a chance to be heard, to convince others, and, hopefully, to bring about some change.
What is it that we want?
As the famous rock band The Rolling Stones once sang:
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need.
