When Politics Gets Personal

I have always heard that the most difficult thing about politics, running in political races, etc. is how personal it gets. In other words, it can really hurt, deep down. I knew someone who ran in a couple of races, when I was a youngster. That was a while back, so it is difficult to remember a whole lot of details from then.

But a couple of days ago, we received a political advertisement in the mail. We almost threw it away, then we realized it was attacking a friend of ours, who was running in a political race against this particular candidate who sent us the ad. What made it more odd was that it was addressed to us, here at our Texas address. But the political ad was for a race that was being held in Georgia, in the county we used to live in. As a side note, what made it even more odd was that the ad was touting the particular candidate's record of cutting spending in the last four years in his incumbent role. However, he was clearly wasting money by sending the ad addressed to us, at an out-of-state address, because we cannot even vote in that election since we do not live there. Pretty ironic.

I was glad to learn that that particular candidate who sent us the ad did not win his election last night. Rather, our friend did. I am glad my friend won because he is a really good guy. And I am particularly glad for the county that we used to live in because we came to really enjoy that county and I feel that the county will benefit with my friend in his new role.

But reading that political advertisement hurt. It hurt because it was attacking my friend. It said things that, of course, were not true and were hurtful. It almost made me want to lash out, maybe write a letter to the editor, to do something, anything . . . because of the anger that it caused to come to surface inside of me.

Political races can do that . . . especially when they get personal. That's why it seems to me that politics, as a hole, has really lost touch with people and with what it was intended to be. I know it has when it causes me to have feelings like I did the other day. The point of a political race is to get the best person, in the eyes of voters, elected to seats and positions. It's time we start demanding that that be done and that any means to get to that end is not okay, means like personally attacking someone on a level that's untrue and hurtful . . . like the ad we received in the mail.

I should not continue to be angry or to harbor bad feelings against someone. I simply shouldn't. But I have to admit that it felt good when I found out that the person who sent me the ad in the mail lost the race . . . and my friend won. I would have much rather have simply been happy that my friend won and have not had ill feelings toward the candidate who lost. But I have to admit that those ill feelings were there.

It was my fault that I had those ill feelings. But politics helped me have them. That's what politics, when done the wrong way, can do. And that's why it's high time that politics change.