The mid-term election year has begun, and my head is already hurting.

Yes, the politicking has started.

The GOP is planning its play in a meeting this month. They will pander to their base, because while small, these folks do turn out to vote in every election from president to animal control officer.

And who is their base? The older white guy that sits on his porch all day holding a loaded AR-15?

So they’d let you think. But polls showed during the election Trump’s average supporter had an above-average income, and if you look at who benefits from the GOP tax law, you’ll see exactly who their base is. That’s one of the lies we’ve chosen to believe, and the media hasn’t helped us dispel the myth. Shame on them. (here’s one of the few articles that does try to set the record straight)

And yet The Democratic party isn’t as poised to overtake Congress as their propagandists would like us to believe. While not much has been said about the Russia effect on Democratic voters, I’m convinced they were a great help in convincing Bernie supporters to either vote 3rd party or not vote at all. Is that how Trump won? I don’t know. But it divided the Democratic party more than they’re letting on.

The disconnect of Democrat politicians is related to the fact that they’re also affluent white folks who have no clue how to talk to, much less interact with, working class whites or persons of color. Who made that Doug Jones win in Alabama possible? Black voters. I heard an interview with a Birmingham barber who mentioned that Jones acted afraid whenever he came into the barber shop and never stayed for long. Doesn’t exactly instill confidence, does it?

In Wisconsin, Randy Bryce is running against Paul Ryan. Randy is an iron worker and is a veteran.

 

Here’s Randy’s latest campaign video.  Count how many non-white faces you see during the 2+ minutes.

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Just like strategic product placement sells merchandise, strategic people placement tells a story without using words. In this video there are a few non-white faces, but they are strategically placed where you’ll see them if you’re looking for them, and won’t if you’re not. Most of those faces were white working class men along with a few white women in traditional roles of mother and waitress. Just like the good ole’ days that Trump’s supporters long for.

David Ermold is running for Court Clerk for Rowan County Kentucky against Kim Davis. You’ll remember Kim Davis refused to allow same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses because it was against her faith, and even went to jail because of it. David was one of those denied a license.

Follow David on Facebook and you will see photos of him interacting with his community. He fundraised for a cat rescue. He had his photo made with Santa in Walmart. Just normal stuff like you and I would do. But still those photos are mostly with white people.

Some folks will say the end justifies the means. But each time I see stuff like this I can’t help but think if a politician will play games during the election then s/he will certainly do so when in office. And isn’t this the behavior we’re sick of?

As candidates, would-be candidates, and politicians plot their strategies for this election year, here’s what they need to know about us average folks whose vote they seem to be clamoring for:

We aren’t dumb. We can tell when that smile in your photo is really clinched teeth, and we can tell when you shake our hands and speak to us whether you give a shit about us or not. And we watch your actions more than believe your words.

We are sick of career politicians from BOTH parties. On days I work in our Nashville office, I see men of women of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds who are homeless, trying to get to work on time, or looking for a tourist attraction. I also see affluent white people who have way more money than I’ll ever earn. I personally think more than one of those groups deserves representation.

Wait, there’s more! We’ve heard stories of politicians who are let off the hook for  drunk driving, domestic violence, and now we learn we’ve been paying out settlements to victims of your sexual harassment. We’re sick of your bad behavior and of you not paying consequences for it.

Who donates money to your campaign should not determine what issues you support while in office. If most Americans want something done about gun violence, why do you sit on your ass and do nothing? If we want the ACA working, why are you actively trying to destroy it? Hmmmm…..

I encourage you, dear reader, to take politics seriously and work together to hold elected officials accountable. If Alabama taught us anything it’s that pundits don’t know what the hell they’re talking about and diverse coalitions is how we’ll move this country forward.