Anyone running for anything?

[toreskha]

Just curious...does anyone here hold an elected/appointed office, or run/thought about running for anything? We definitely need more pro-gun politicians, and every little bit helps. Lower-level things are best to start off with of course, but most elected officials circulate amongst each other, and if you have several that support gun rights, you may be able to influence another who is on the fence. Plus, who knows...you might like it and decide to move on up.

BTW...please don't feel that you have to lose any anonymity in disclosing this...you can be somewhat general. :-)

[PascalFleischman]

Just curious...does anyone here hold an elected/appointed office, or run/thought about running for anything? We definitely need more pro-gun politicians, and every little bit helps. Lower-level things are best to start off with of course, but most elected officials circulate amongst each other, and if you have several that support gun rights, you may be able to influence another who is on the fence. Plus, who knows...you might like it and decide to move on up.

BTW...please don't feel that you have to lose any anonymity in disclosing this...you can be somewhat general. :-)

Nope, but I'm running FROM taxes.

I've seriously given thought to local city council positions, but I like my work too much. Plus, a white conservative in Memphis doesn't stand a snowball's chance of winning a seat. Problem is that the white collar contingent of downtown (whrere I live) is either "Socially Astute" or completely apathetic. We're lumped into the same district as the sub-blue collar communities of miscreants, thugs, and welfare queens. Black Democrats are the only ones they've ever voted for....and the only ones they will EVER vote for.

[kwo51]

Yes sir, I'm running for shelter.

[KimberRB]

I was thanking the same thing Kwo. LOL

[kwo51]

Not a bad idea licensing drug dealers. Who would have thought.

[Scarecrow]

Yes sir, I'm running for shelter.

hahaha right on.

my bro-in-law loves guns. has his ccw. buys a new gun whenever he can. his dream is to become a senator. hope he does.

[kwo51]

Still waiting for stimulas check. Anyone got one? I want to up grade my Harley on the USA

[toreskha]

Well, right after I got out of high school I ran for town council in the (somewhat tiny) place where I was from. I lost by a few votes, but a couple of years later, won a county-wide seat on the Soil & Water Conservation Board by a huge margin. Later I moved to Jacksonville and am currently running for Soil & Water here (I should also note that S&W does not pay, and our budget has been cut to $0, so it's not exactly a lust for power and wealth). The state GOP is also sending me to Minnesota in September as an alternate delegate, which I'm very excited about. :20:

Most people around here are pretty conservative. My message, regardless of political stripe, is for people to GET INVOLVED!! By and large, elected officials are not devious, and would like to see more people at meetings, but getting them there is like simultaneously pulling teeth and herding cats. Meetings are like going to church - it's the first step to a larger journey. They're generally both boring and inconclusive, and unless an issue affects you directly, there's probably a big learning curve as far as figuring out what is going on.

I've supported and spent a lot of time with local candidates through the years, and have found people are almost universally apathetic about politics. It seems the only time they're not, is when something has gone wrong. The media doesn't spin things one way or another, so much as they just don't give enough information and muddle the issues until they're meaningless. The candidates themselves often (not always) genuinely believe in many of the issues they support. If they do not fully believe in an issue, they may support it if their constituents are strongly in favor of it. I'd rather have someone like that who can listen to voters, than a hardhead who has a "my way or the highway" view.

As for candidates who are all in it for themselves...you can very accurately get a feel for that just by talking to them one-on-one for a while. Most however believe in whatever it is they're doing, at least somewhat. Look at Hillary Clinton - she's definitely not my choice for President, but she is determined and loyal to her cause. Anyone with lesser fortitude would have dropped out a month ago, particularly since she has almost no hope of winning.

Voting is the absolute minimum required of being a citizen. GET INVOLVED!! RUN FOR THINGS!! GO TO MEETINGS!! If you've got to choose between Chupacabra and Cthulu for candidates, then it's a choice of your own making!

[kwo51]

Now I just to fill up my bike.

[mom of 3 angels]

Thanks for the post toreskha--I'll second. I'm all for getting involved in government where I can and believe more people should as well. We live in a little town and at our last town caucus we had to call people to show up so we'd have enough people there to fill the county delegate seats we had available to us. Crazy! I took a few teens with me and a British friend to see how the system works (none of whom were elegible to actually participate, but at least they know there are meetings now). Spread the news, invite people to go to meetings with you (preferably of like mind :) ), volunteer, get involved.
I also wait until my kids are out of school on voting days so they can go with me. Even though it is much more hassle to take them all with me, I hope to send the message to them how important it is to participate in government, and what a privelege it is to be able to vote.