By:Jarvis Johnson
When did we start expecting so little from our elected officials? Or perhaps the better question is—have candidates become so underwhelming that voters have simply lowered the bar and settled for whoever yells the loudest?
Running for office is one of the only high-stakes jobs in this country that doesn’t require experience, education, or any demonstrated ability to produce results. In today’s political environment, it seems all you need is a recognizable name, a loud voice, and a catchy slogan to win votes. We’ve elected TV personalities, comedians, athletes—people with little to no experience in governance—because they said something that sounded good or made us feel hopeful.
Every election cycle, candidates from both parties tell us what we want to hear. Democrats, for example, often declare: “I’m going to fight for you. I’ll fight to expand Medicare and Medicaid. I’ll fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.
I’ll fight to fully fund education.” Well—yes. Of course you should. That’s the bare minimum.
But here’s the real question voters should be asking: How are you going to do it? In this hyper-partisan political climate, where Republicans control the House, Senate, Presidency, Su- preme Court, and the majority of federal judges—how do you plan to turn your promises into reality?
Republicans have shown they are not just ideologically firm, but often retaliatory. Trump has openly threatened to withhold fund- ing from colleges and universities
