A Political One

This one’s about politics.

I’ve worked in politics for over a decade as a researcher, grassroots advocate, talking head, and analyst. We have now hit the time in the election calendar where our mailboxes are full of political mailers, political ads are dominating commercial breaks on cable and streaming, and the political consultants have determined that “normal” people are paying attention to the election. Welcome to the 2024 election season.

I hope you feel welcome.

Presidential election years feel more and more like “March Madness”. There are so many moving pieces – ads to watch, campaign finance reports to browse, and poll results to collect.

But it is exhausting. And it has never been harder to engage and stay connected - and truthfully…care about what’s happening outside of our own worlds – groceries, mortgages, new HVACs, growing and building businesses, keeping tiny kids alive, making the tough decisions about where to go to school. Life just keeps coming faster and harder – breaking appliances, struggling family members…and oh yeah, you’ve got to fit the gym in there somewhere and drink enough water.

Here’s the thing.

I believe politics is a good thing. I believe the candidates running for office decided to run because they wanted to solve a problem. They wanted to make the world around them better. Better for their districts, their communities, their neighbors, and their families.

If that is true, then where is the breakdown? Why does politics leave so many people exhausted and disengaged. 

The back and forth of policy ideas makes for a healthy society. When I think about the creation of policy solutions, one of my favorite arguments for free speech is that the only way we know good ideas are good is because of bad ideas. The more we can create a range of alternatives and cast a wide net, the more likely we are to be able to narrow down to the good ideas. The more ideas or solutions to problems we have, the greater the likelihood of a better final product.

If that is true, then why does the back and forth seem to mean gridlock and no solutions?

My theory: politics is not a place for experimentation or creativity. Politics is not forgiving or understanding of mistakes. And politics creates an environment of absolutes.

But what if it didn’t have to? What if it was an arena where both sides – Republicans and Democrats – spoke to each other as honest brokers and genuinely wanted the best idea or solution to win? What if solutions went incrementally and in a way that encouraged experimentation and learning?

No one has all the solutions to the complicated and difficult problems we face. And that is okay. The candidates who are running to represent us in Washington and Raleigh don’t have the all the answers. And that’s okay.

What would change if our elected officials led from a posture acknowledging that complicated or difficult problems take experimentation, collaboration, and creativity? How would we view our elected officials if we believed experimentation, collaboration, and creativity took bravery?

Former President Ronald Reagan delivered one of my favorite speeches after the shuttle Challenger tragedy. There is one line that lives rent free in my brain: “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.”

Yes. Exactly. Experimentation and creativity take bravery. And I want brave leaders.

Be amused,

Anna Beavon Gravely