Party Bosses
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As a lifelong democrat it has become increasingly more difficult for me to understand my party, especially the local Franklin County Democratic party. In all honesty it is too far to the left for me to comprehend and in short, way too liberal. I don't know whatever became of the middle ground but there doesn't seem to be one anymore on either side; nonetheless, there are many of us who still believe that meeting somewhere in the middle of disagreements is best for everyone when one side refuses to budge. Most main-stream republicans are even worse with their extreme right wing agendas that I find impossible to embrace or even trust. So that leaves me scrutinizing all of the candidates more than I wish I needed to, looking for self serving hidden agendas that offer someone like me nothing while promoting ideas that I will be forced to live with even when they go against everything I ever believed in or hoped would someday come to fruition.
What I am seeing in my own party is a bitterness toward anyone who isn't on-board with every liberal idea they want to shove down everyone's throats, even when it is something that goes against ones faith or upbringing. There are no Teddy Roosevelt's, Ronald Reagan's or even Barry Goldwater's left in the red circles and neither are there any FDR's or JFK's under the blue tents anymore. Most of the time we only have a choice between extremes. We can vote against them both but all that usually does is make a statement, it doesn't elect better candidates because those people usually have no chance of actually winning elections.
On May 5th Columbus has an opportunity to reject what the big- money party bosses on both sides have offered as choices for our next mayor because there are actually two democrats running who have stood up to them and said enough is enough. James Ragland and Zach Scott are the only two in this race that are offering any kind of change in how we select our leaders and how either will govern if elected mayor. I am as sick as they are of the cycle of being told how to think or how to vote by the democratic bosses and I resent them for calling Mr. Scott a mud-slinger simply because his ideas are not in lockstep with every extreme liberal idea they have; especially after receiving a mailed piece of propaganda from them that unfairly questioned Scott's reputation. In short they implied that because he had enough grit to question what they have been getting away with for decades that he isn't what they call a good democrat.
I couldn't disagree with them more; the fact that he is willing to speak his true feelings and offer an alternative is exactly what I have always believed in as a democrat. If we don't question the status quo when it is no longer working or when it disrupts other good intentions than what have we become? When did the democrats take it upon themselves to discourage anyone outside its closed circles from wanting to contribute? I admire people for wanting to participate in their government and as a democrat I always believed that more people should.
The sleazy mailer I received that asked me to join them in blocking anyone from challenging them was an affront to my ability to know what might be best for me. That took a lot of unmitigated gall and it lessened any respect I might have had for the chairman as well as the entire party. It was made of hard stock and was printed in color with a glossy finish and clearly a lot of dollars were spent on the production as well as the postage to get it out. What a waste!
But that's how it goes in politics; all is in fair when trying to control elections becomes job one. Two of the 4 major candidates in this mayoral election will advance to the November election regardless of their party affiliation and one of them isn't likely to be the lone republican who is running because their local organization has been in shambles for years and it appears they didn't think this one out any more clearly than they have others in recent years. I hope that the two democrats who do go forward are Mr. Ragland and Mr. Scott, because the one with the most money to spend in this election is only offering more liberal policies than we have had to struggle with over the past 15 years. Nothing against all liberals, but this is a new agenda that has never existed in my lifetime, one that leaves 2/3rds of us out and offers nothing to anyone who can see two sides of any argument.
The hand-picked party endorsed candidate, Andy Ginther is young enough to be led by his bosses and his statements to date are indicative that he will carry out every liberal agenda they tell him to because he always has in the past as a city council member. They are gambling millions of dollars that he will emerge from the primary as one of two challengers for the final decision in November, but he has already tilted his cards and given us a peek of what we can expect if we select him, just a puppet whose strings will be pulled by the man who no longer wants to be mayor of Columbus, but who still wants to control the office, Mike Coleman.
Good luck to Zach Scott and James Ragland in their quest to represent everyone instead of just a few pockets of society that Mr. Ginther has promised to be there for. I can bend a little to meet somewhere in the middle with the far left liberals who are now running the party, but I cannot surrender my soul and allow them to have it all without being held accountable for shady backroom deal making that cost tons and tons of our money, and without offering something good for us all in return.
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