Forrest persisted despite heat, humidity, pit bulls and vicious personal attacks.
Run Forrest Run . . .
You Won the Election; Now What?
By: George Noga – November 7, 2021
On November 2, 2021 many Americans won political office for the first time. This is the story of a man named Forrest, who was elected a few years ago. It is about what happens when well-intentioned people encounter the realities of politics.
Forrest Runs for Office
Forrest had fervent views about many political issues and was motivated to seek office to make his community better. He began at a huge disadvantage versus his incumbent opponent who had name recognition, fund-raising prowess and knew the system. Forrest began early and devoted every spare minute to walking neighborhoods to meet voters. He persisted through heat, humidity, downpours, rudeness and vicious dogs.
Forrest made 50 fund-raising calls daily despite his discomfort with asking for money. Many who contributed wanted something in return – same with endorsements. He had to master every issue and respond to personal attacks. Everything in his (and his wife’s) past and everything he had ever written or posted on social media was scrutinized, distorted and used to attack him. Nonetheless, Forrest worked incredibly hard and a week before the election pulled even with his opponent. Then the bombshell dropped.
A politically motivated former coworker accused Forrest of sexual harassment and revealed some intimate text messages. This incident occurred before Forrest’s marriage and he claimed the relationship was consensual. The media printed the most salacious portions of the texts and his opponent used them in a vicious hit piece mailed to all voters immediately before the election. Forrest’s wife was mortified and his children were taunted at school. His campaign was out of money and could not respond. The negative mailers worked; Forrest’s support waned and he lost by a few points.
Forrest Runs Again
Encouraged by his earlier strong showing, Forrest decided to try again, this time vowing to win whatever the cost. He raised megabucks from special interests, giving the impression he supported their agendas – same with endorsements. He dug up dirt and attacked his opponent. He worked even harder then before walking neighborhoods despite being bitten by a pit bull. When his opponent resurrected the sexual harassment canard, Forrest was prepared with his own direct mail savage hit piece.
The final week before the election, the race was a tossup. Forrest urgently needed money for more media, robocalls and another direct mailer. He and his wife took out a $50,000 mortgage on their home to loan to the campaign. It worked. Forrest won but had to continue raising money to repay the mortgage. Since Forrest had won, many donors were eager to contribute – provided of course that he consider their positions.
Forrest Takes Office
Forrest met with many constituents, all of whom wanted something from government. Every committee hearing was an urgent plea to fund a particular cause or project. Government employees and lobbyists fawned over Forrest, constantly inflating his ego. There were no voices urging restraint. And then there were all those promises Forrest had made and the debts he incurred to raise money and to obtain endorsements. Forrest found himself increasingly focused on doing what was necessary to get reelected.
Forrest sought public office to better his community, but he soon became seduced by power and metamorphosized into an archetypical politician. He relished the power and felt entitled. After all, he had worked himself to exhaustion, been attacked by a pit bull, mortgaged his home and endured vicious personal attacks. Therein lies the problem.
How do we get all the Forrests of this world to understand that America neither needs nor wants more laws, regulations, government programs, taxes, debt or spending? In the overwhelming majority of cases, the correct thing for Forrest is to do absolutely nothing. What America needs is more liberty and less government!
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Our next post is about political correctness and the use of language.