Open Letter To All Candidates For Office

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Election 2022, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, guns, History, Personal, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Dear Sir or Madam …

Back in the day, campaign advertisements were used to inform the public what the candidate stood for, what their values were, and what they planned (hoped) to do if they won the privilege of serving in an elected office.  THAT is exactly what we need and want to hear today, but instead of serious policy information, we are ‘entertained’ by a barrage of mud-slinging, name-calling, and lies about the candidate’s opponent.

Here are a few pointers for you if you actually care to win votes based on your qualifications:

  • Do NOT tell us what your opponent thinks or will do … we have eyes and ears and can read and listen to what he or she says.
  • DO tell us what your values are, what your hopes and plans are should you win in November.
  • Do NOT insult our intelligence! Most of us are perfectly capable of listening to both sides, researching to sort truth from lie, and then making an intelligent decision.  It is a slap in the face for you to assume that we cannot understand the realities of such things as climate change, COVID, inflation, etc.
  • Do NOT sink into a mudfest just because others are doing it. Maintain decorum and dignity.  And for Pete’s Sake do NOT name-call!
  • Do NOT even refer to ‘Republicans’ or ‘Democrats’ … you are the candidate, we are the voters. Keep political parties out of it.  When you say, “Democrats blah blah blah …” you are labeling half the people in the nation, assuming that they all think and act alike.

And here are a few questions that, I believe, are of the utmost importance to ALL voters, regardless of political affiliation:

  • Do you support women’s rights? Will you defend and protect a woman’s right to make her own decisions, whether about birth control, abortion, a job, education, or whatever else?
  • Do you believe that human lives are more important than the “right” to bear arms? Will you consider sensible gun laws to further protect the lives of school children and everyone else in this nation?
  • Do you prioritize the environmental concerns and will you do everything in your power to make the United States a key player in the battle to reverse the effects of human-created climate change? Will you restore the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and operate to aggressively cease the mining, drilling, and use of fossil fuels at the earliest possible moment?
  • Do you support educating and training all public servants to combat the brutal systemic racism and homophobia we have seen in police departments around the nation, as well as other government agencies?

These are the things that matter most to us … far more than the price of fuel at the pump.  Don’t talk down to us and assume you will garner our attention and our votes by ranting against your opponent.  Instead, tell us who YOU are, what YOU believe, and what YOU promise to do if elected.

Sincerely,

Jill Dennison, citizen, taxpayer, voter

63 thoughts on “Open Letter To All Candidates For Office”

  1. Pingback: Open Letter To All Candidates For Office – Raymondtechnologies

  3. Thank you for sharing!!.. you wrote some excellent ideas and thoughts but those thoughts need to be sent to the voters and constituents who will vote the politicians into office.. the politicians will say and do whatever they believe their constituents want, sometimes out of fear, in order to stay into office.. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark, the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” (Plato).. 🙂
    When you hear a politician giving speeches today, it will give you a good idea of the mindset of the people he/she will represent, even though it may not be the majority… “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom”. (Isaac Asimov)… 🙂

    Until we meet again..

    May love and laughter light your days,
    and warm your heart and home.
    May good and faithful friends be yours,
    wherever you may roam.
    May peace and plenty bless your world
    with joy that long endures.
    May all life’s passing seasons
    bring the best to you and yours!
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Good point, Dutch! The politicians are unlikely to even read my letter, much less to heed it. It’s the people who need to see how they are being lied to and how truth is being withheld from them so they can, hopefully, make wise decisions come November. I used to credit most people with having good common sense, that they wouldn’t fall for lie after lie without asking pertinent questions, but today? It seems I gave people too much credit, for they follow the loudest voices like lemmings over a cliff. Trouble is … they’re dragging the rest of us over the cliff with them. Sigh. Thank you, my friend, for the uplifting Irish Saying!

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      • Well, you are not a lemming, you will go over that cliff only if you want to… “My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze.. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny”. ( Elaine Maxwell).. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Jill, good post. Here is another – tell people the process is fair and hard-working people are doing their best to make it so. People who say the voting process is rigged are just greasing the skids to complain if they lose, just as the former president did months before and following the 2020 election. Unfortunately, people have bought into this BS.

    Are there miscounts due to people moving, registering incorrectly, etc. – yes. But a big deal was made in Florida about the governor arresting 19 people for possible voting fraud in 2020 – that is out of 10.9 million votes. That is 0.00017% of the votes. That is a pretty darn commendable error rate.

    Keith

    Liked by 1 person

    • That’s an excellent addition to my list. Trouble is that today, election integrity may actually be in question with election deniers being place in positions to ‘oversee’ the voting and the counting of the ballots. I cannot even begin to imagine what chaos will surround the 2024 presidential election.

      And yes, the big deal they made over those 19 voters is ridiculous and truth is that some, at least, were told they COULD vote by election officials, and then charged with illegal voting. Personally, I think that convicted felons who have served their sentence and are now out of prison should have the right to vote. Period. They are working, paying their taxes, must live under the laws of the land, so why shouldn’t they have a voice?

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  7. I wonder how much of this type of behaviour is due to the excessive budgets that seem to be available to political candidates in the US. There is very little of this type of behaviour here in Aotearoa, and that might be due to the strictly enforced spending limits on political advertising during an election campaign. In the 2020 General elections the limit for each candidate contesting an electorate (voting district) was NZ$27,500 (approx US$17,000). Additionally, political parties could spend the same amount for each electorate contested by a party representative. If a political party contested the party vote (50 of the 120 seats in parliament are allocated to political parties to ensure proportionality) it could spend a further NZ$1,169,000 (approx US$700,000) on election advertising.

    Those not contesting the election directly (third party interests) were also strictly limited in spending, no matter whether it was to support or oppose a political party or support or oppose a policy promoted by one or more political parties. For unregistered third parties the limit was NZ$13,200 (approx US$8,000). If the third party registered with the Electoral Commission) the the limit was $NZ330,000 (approx US$200,000).

    It’s considered political advertising if it encourages voters to:
    * vote, or not to vote, for an electorate candidate (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated)
    * vote, or not to vote, for a party (whether or not the name of the party is stated)
    * vote, or not to vote, for a type of candidate or party described by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate or party are stated).

    As you might imagine these limitations on spending more or less ensures that spending goes on promoting a candidate, a party or a policy rather than denigrating opponents. It also means that big players with big pockets don’t get to drown out the voices of little players with limited resources. I suspect many in America might argue that this is limiting freedom of speech. We don’t see it that way. All it limits is how much you can spend exercising freedom of speech. After all, it costs nothing to exercise freedom of speech.

    Liked by 1 person

    • You make a good point, Barry! If their campaign budgets were very limited, they would have to use their funds to get their point across, to convince people why they should vote FOR them, rather than AGAINST the ‘other’. As it stands today, they are everywhere and if they have a point to make, it gets lost in all the noise.

      Once upon a time, we had stricter rules regarding campaign finance and how it could be spent, but with the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Citizens United vs FEC, that all went into the garbage heap and now there are few rules, and plenty of ways to circumvent them. As you say, the big players with the deep pockets drown out the smaller ones, which is why our Congress is predominantly comprised of wealthy people.

      As usual, I find your system to be much preferable to ours. And I like your rebuttal against the argument that restricting campaign finance limits free speech … you’re right … exercising the freedom of speech costs nothing. Here, though, they want to shove their message into our faces 24/7 so that it invades even our sleep!

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    • Exactly!!! We are intelligent beings who can think, do the research, and make our own decisions based on what is most important to us! Candidates need to let us know who they are, what their values are, and what their plans in office are. That’s all I really want to hear from them!

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  10. Now, the election campaigns are not about the values, the policies of the candidates running, instead, it’s a shouting match, talking trash about ones’ own, opponents, to make oneself, look that much, higher up on the, totem pole, and so, every single election became a vote for, who’s the, least, worst, and that’s how, elections have, been, for years on end to date…

    Liked by 3 people

    • Ah, but they are. If that’s not the case in your neck of the woods then that tells me a lot about not only the candidates but also a lot about the type of society where the campaign is occurring

      Liked by 2 people

    • I agree that’s what our election season has come down to, but I surely would like to see a return to the relative sanity of just 20 years ago, even. It doesn’t have to be this way, if only the candidates would realize that they are stoking fires that will soon burn out of control if they aren’t careful, if they don’t scale back their rhetoric and stop promoting and inciting violence. Sigh.

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  12. I see you are assuming that most of them can read and understand what you ask, and in the case of some that they will be willing to go against the dictates of their own party who will expect the name calling and all the accompanying lying.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Well, those like Marge Greene and Herschel Walker obviously won’t understand a word I’ve said, but I’m appealing to those others, the ones who actually possess a brain and know how to use it. Some actually WILL go against the dictates of their party and will pay a price for it, but the fact that they are willing to put their integrity and the good of the nation ahead of their party should send a clear message to the Republican voters about what the GOP has become.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Good try, Jill. If a candidate with an (R) behind their name telks you they support choice for women, that libes are more important than guns, they will end the use of fossil fuels, or that they think public servants should be educated against racism, then you know they are lieing! If they seem too perfect, they are.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Ah well … as President Biden said in his speech earlier tonight, not ALL Republicans are maga … some are still reasonable people. I rue the loss of civil political debate, miss the days when politicians wanted you to know what THEY stood for and were about, not what they say the OTHER guy is. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

      • As a Party, all Republicans are MAGAts.
        I agree with you about old style politics, but those days are gone, Jill. As I said earlier, MAGAts are out to rule, so politeness and tru5h have been thrown out the window. Win at any cost!
        The fortunate thing about this strategy is that Republicans are making it very obvious how stoopid they are. Most American voters are wiser than they are. The thing is to get the numbers to the voting stations.

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        • From my view republicans are making it obvious how stoopid their base is and how gullible and hateful they are. The hate… making them oh so easy to control…the wolf leading the sheep to slaughter.

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          • The amazing thing is, Mary, their voters get absolutely nothing tangible out of electing Republicans. Their lives do not improve in any way. Controlling women’s bodies does not give them better wages. Making homosexuality illegal again does not put more food on their plates. Forcing Christianity on everyone doesn’t improve their housing. And separating the races does not give them better health care.
            So, they get to feel superior to others, but they are still under-educated poor white trash, and always will be under Republican rule. The only ones who benefit from their stoopidity are the wealthy, and in truth, giving even more money to those already so wealthy they can never use their money in their lifetimes doesn’t inprove the lives of the wealthy either.

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        • The party is filled to the brim with maga-minded boot-lickers, yes. But you cannot lump everyone into a box and label them maga. Look, for example, at Liz Cheney and Adam Kinizinger. I suspect there is a large portion of Republicans among average voters who are not pro-maga. We really do need two viable parties … at least … so the question becomes how do we fix what is so very broken within the Republican ranks?

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          • I would not even bother trying to fix what is totally broken. What you need ate more political parties, ones who are willing to work together to improve the lives of average Americans.
            You can protest all you want about there bei g “good” Republicans, Jill, but you are not looking at what can be done with some creative ideas. Politics has changed, so if it has to change, do something constructive. The Republican Party is DESTRUCTIVE right now. Get rid of it. You really want to save Democracy? Make planned changes, efficient changes. Throw out what DOES NOT WORK!

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            • I fully agree about a wider playing field with more options, as do most people at this point, I suspect. However, ‘getting rid of’ the current GOP is far easier said than done. To eradicate it would require those who vote for it to pull away, to stop supporting it, and we both know that’s not likely any time soon, for they are being fed a boatload of garbage and lies that they aren’t well educated enough to see as just that.

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              • Ah, but that is what elections are for. If, just saying, the Republicans were to lose every seat they were running for, even the ones they feel are safe, how would they react, except to say the vote was rigged somehow. Meanwhile, their financial backers would have to give a lot of thought about feeding them more funds and getting absolutely nothing in return. The wealthy expect to get value for their money! No value, no money! End of party!
                No, that won’t happen in 2022, but still they could suffer a lot of losses in non-Red states. If, as I hope, the Dems can get out 80% or 90% of their voters, the Republicans would definitely suffer a lot of losses. Then it is up to the GOP whether to find a new path or not. And it will open the door for other parties to step in.
                The voters have that power. I really hope they will use it this year!

                Liked by 1 person

                  • You may have only one vote, Jill, but you have 4774 readers right now, at least 3000 of them American voters. How many readers do they have? Most of them are probably going to vote Democrat or anti-Repugh, but maybe some are not ready to vote yet.
                    Now, you know I am not a voter, I do not believe in today’s kind of democracy. But even I am asking people who can to vote this year. Maybe some of them will vote Republican, but not that many. The more people who vote in this election, the truer the picture will be of what the majority of Americans want, which is to save Roe v Wade, which is to save Democracy over what the Repughs are trying to create, to stop bigotry and racism. Whatever reasons will get people to the polls, use them. Use all of them!
                    Through your readers and their readers, you can probably reach 100,000 people or more.
                    Think big, not small!

                    Liked by 2 people

                    • Thanks, rawgod! I sometimes need to be reminded that I DO have a louder voice than just my single vote. The reality, though, is that rarely does a Republican tune into my blog, let alone listen … really listen … to what I have to say. Dave from Speak-the-Truth has been tuning in lately, but I think only so he can rebut every single thing I say. He’s arrogant and just assumes when he says something, that is the truth, the way it is. He’s not taking into consideration what I or other commenters say, but only reads our words looking for something to argue about. That’s really not civil discourse … it’s arrogance. A few times since I started this blog, someone has told me that I caused them to understand something or look at something in a different light, but those times are few and far between. 99% of my readers are already in agreement with me for the most part. Sigh. But I shall try to think bigger! Oh, and by the way, I actually have 4,998 readers … just 2 short of 5,000! 😊

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                    • Mystery solved! 4,774 is the number of people who are signed up for updates, and 4,999 (I gained one tonight!) are the number of followers. WordPress is not trustworthy, though … they’ve started sending me email notifications every single time someone leaves a comment, even though I do NOT have the box checked for them to do so. Thus, my inbox is bombarded with tons of emails each day just to tell me that someone left a comment. Sigh. Just what I needed in addition to about 300 Spam emails every day!

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          • Maybe I have a slanted view, as I live in Floriduh, but the republicans here seem to all be trumpers and many are poor redneck uneducated, unsophisticated, racist and far right religious good old boy types.
            Of course it’s hard to know because few of the others speak up. But I have friends who have family members not in Florida that are republican and they are also trumpers. One man in particular is about to go insane with hate towards Biden and the democrats because they forgave student loans. They don’t have a clue that in most Western European countries..there is no loan forgiveness because there were never loans in the first place. This is just an example of their thinking, as you know. I believe the percentage of republicans who don’t support trump or DeSantis are far and few….I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t see it.

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            • Florida appears to be an extreme case, doesn’t it. But states all over, not just in the South, seem to be following their lead. The Republicans in Florida are a “shining example” to Republicans everywhere. But extremism is not good for anyone except the extremists, and they certainly are not in the majority. But from all the news coming into Canada, it sounds like Republicans are going to take over. I really think the MEDIA want to make this happen.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Fox and other right wing sites, for sure..but I think it’s more they need a juicy story, so viewership will rise and profits are made..it’s always money…
                Just saw the latest on MSNBC though…40 folders marked classified…all empty of the contents! It just never ends!

                Liked by 1 person

                • Yeah. The question is, what do empty folders even mean? Are documents missing? Or did Trump just not know he was supposed to put the documents back into their folders? We all know Trump is not the brightest light in the candleabra, but we also know he would sell his grandma for a few bucks.

                  Liked by 2 people

                    • Granted, that is the most likely scenario. But until we find out for sure…
                      A lot of them could have gone down the toilet too. Those that went that direction will never be found again, though I am hoping the government archives was smart enough to keep copies, so they can find out what is missing.

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            • I have at least three friends who are life-long Republicans, but they despise Donald Trump and would not vote for him if his name was the only one on the ballot. Problem is, they throw away their votes by either not voting or voting for a third-party candidate with no chance of winning. But, Florida is different than Ohio, even though both are “red” states. Ohio, until recently, was as often Democrat as Republican, and is still considered a “swing state”, whereas Florida is die-hard Republican. Given half a chance, I would go back to New York in a heartbeat, but … I suppose my one lonely vote here might help. Sigh.

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