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Guest Column

Power is a good, crazy reason to run for office

By MARY PARTINGTON
Published September 4, 2006

Tell me why.

"Tell me why the stars do shine." This is the first line of an old song. Long before MP3 players, cell phones, and personal CD players and cassette radios, when we rode a school bus or went on a hayride, we sang songs.

If we wanted to drive the bus driver and coaches or teachers crazy we sang "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." When you arrived at your destination you were elated because you had been singing your heart out. In my case, I just mouthed the words, but once in a while I would throw caution to the wind and sing at the top of my voice.

I have a new refrain: "Tell me why they do run."

In this year of statewide elections, and as we ramble to a presidential election, will someone, please, tell me why a supposedly sane person decides to run for political office.

On its face, it seems to be pure idiocy. The money that needs to be raised, the hands to shake and the miles of bus, airplane and car travel. And the babies to kiss. Well, forget the baby-kissing - that is the only part of the job that appeals to me.

What makes one person think that he or she is worth our vote? What special talents does he or she have that will make a difference to the state or the nation? Or have hoards of citizens come to their door clamoring, "Run, Run. You must save us."

Tell me why Katherine Harris is in the Senate race and why she said she was willing to spend huge sums of her own money on a campaign. What drives this bright, attractive woman to hold herself up for humiliation?

Tell me why Tom Gallagher is still in the running when the pundits give the race to his opponent. Mr. Gallagher looks like a nice family man in his ads. He has a young son who will play in ball games and star in school plays. Why does Mr. Gallagher want to miss those wonderful once-in-a-lifetime events? What special skill does he have that makes him so worthy to be our governor?

I have held many elected offices in community organizations. When the committee asked me to run, my first question was, "Is this a single slate election?" If there was more than one candidate for an office you could count me out. I wanted no part of "Vote for Me" buttons.

Even in a secret ballot single slate election I never voted for myself. One time I voted for myself in a poetry competition. One of the other competitors faced me down with, "You voted for yourself, didn't you!?" Darn right I did. My poem was better than hers.

The Kennedy clan has been raised to the honor and duty of political office. In some of that clan the honor is in question. The Bush clan is another family that has served our country and state. President George H.W. Bush is a man to admire and his sons have made their mother proud.

Oh, please, please tell me why our former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to be president. Hasn't she feasted on enough state dinners? Hasn't she decorated the White House? And hasn't she slept in the Lincoln Bedroom? What attributes does she have that makes her covet this elected office? Her husband has retired and she could spend some quality time with him.

I know, I am a woman and I should be happy. I want to walk into a voting booth someday and vote for a woman. I guess how her husband treated her and how she reacted to it makes me wonder about her sanity.

The word that comes to my mind as an answer is "power." Power is a heady addictive mania.

The other power that comes to mind is the power of prayer. Let's all pray that we make the correct decision after the candidates answer, "Tell me why you deserve my vote."

Mary Partington lives in New Port Richey. Guest columnists write their own views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.

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[Last modified September 4, 2006, 01:13:52]