The Trick to Choosing Elected Officials

In a letter to the Salt Lake Tribune Jeff Hammond offered this profound bit of insight:

As some politicians age, they grow into statesmen, like Barry Goldwater; others shrivel into petty party hacks. Sens. Hatch and Bob Bennett aren’t growing.

He’s right about Hatch and Bennett which is why it’s time to replace them. He’s also right about politicians who grow and shrink which is why we have to be very careful about who we replace them with. So far I am not confident that any one of the challengers for Bennett’s seat (Bridgewater, Eagar, Granato, Shurtleff, or Williams so far) will grow into a statesman. Some I have ruled out already as potential senators, others I am still considering. It’s an important decision that we must not make lightly. (I’ll bet that nobody can guess which ones I have ruled out even if I were to include Bennett in the mix and even if I said how many were already out.)

I hope that I will yet discover, either among the current challengers or among some as-yet-unannounced challenger, a real diamond in the making who will live up to the promise of every aspiring politician – to be a true statesman.

Comments

8 responses to “The Trick to Choosing Elected Officials”

  1. Scott Miller Avatar

    Good luck to you on that. I have the issue of dealing with the Honorable Senator Harry Reid in 2010.

  2. David Avatar

    Let me know if you find a good candidate to support.

  3. Scott Miller Avatar

    That seems to be the real issue. Nevada's republican delegation right now is not shining brightly. The governor is inept on a good day, and the other senator has some problems keeping … well you know the story.

  4. David Avatar

    Yes, Nevada needs to fire everybody right about now.

  5. Ann Cochran Richardson Avatar

    Thanks for this post. It is an excellent article.

  6. Reach Upward Avatar

    Frankly, our current system does not include incentives for people of that nature to seriously seek political office. Those few that do are weeded out early in the process.

  7. David Avatar

    I know that. I think that’s why we end up choosing politicians and hope that they mature into statesmen. Somehow we need to change the climate in a way that would be more attractive and supportive for those kind of people who are willing to seek office.

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