Okay, so here in Massachusetts we have a close race for a senate seat. Tonight there is a debate on local TV. I have watched some of the previous debates in this race, and I have found them wanting.
I have had faced the difficult task of hiring people in my past careers, and I know only too well how often the standard hiring process fails to discern whether the candidate can actually do the job they are being hired to do. In the case of these debates, to me they always sound like theoretical discussions of “if you were king, what would you do?”
My response is, “Who cares?” We are not electing a king. The job of a senator is not to debate, nor is it to espouse dogma or philosophy. The job of a United States senator is to horsetrade. Let’s see how well they do that.
I’d love to see a “shark tank” style show where we see what they are willing to do / not do for major campaign contributors, or maybe find out what principles, as junior senators, they are willing to compromise upon in order to get some bigger legislative goal achieved. After all, how much power does a junior senator really have? Let’s see them convince five faux senators of the opposing party to support a bill.
I’ve had enough grand ideals. A utopian vision for the future, I can get that on any street corner. Show me that you can wheel and deal and get the job done.
— JL
