This politics thing can be fun.
Aggravating, sure. Frustrating, certainly. Infuriating, absolutely. But it also can be fun — in a car-crash sort of way — to watch the machinations that come with attempts to influence public opinion through sometimes disingenuous means.
And while politics can provide endless hours of entertainment, here is the part that generates aggravation at every level from the county building to the U.S. Capitol: There is a difference between politics and governance. Between believing you can be victorious and recognizing that you are impacting people’s lives. Between megalomania and magnanimity.
You see, as a recovering sports editor, I can appreciate the game and the thrust-and-parry that comes with politics; as Barack Obama reputedly said, “Everybody knows politics is a contact sport.” Yet I loathe the attitude that says governance must result in winners and losers and that compromise is a sign of weakness.
Which brings us to recent comments from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who said: “Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee, and what are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened.” Yes, by all means, let’s have a congressional committee that meets for 17 months — and counting — while spending more than $4 million — and counting — in order to lower Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers.
