Whew, that’s a toughy. I had to think about that for a while, and since I am only the second poster, I think others have as well.
I assume you would be running in Florida. I don’t know much about Florida’s state of affairs, but I do know you are more than qualified, especially compared to some of the other bums out there. But my vote doesn’t count. If you were running against the right person you might even be a sure thing. Then comes the question of financing. If the stars are in the right place, it feels right, and it won’t bankrupt you, then I say go for it. You could even ask for an entrance delay on entering law school in case it didn’t work out.
It’s tough deciding whether to set off in an uncharted direction or stay with what is safe and comfortable. You have some support structure in family and friends, and if any of us can do it you can. As Shakespeare and Star Trek have said, “To the undiscovered country.” Cheers and good luck.
Man, nobody is participating in this poll. Even after I deliberately changed the time so it would remain the first entry on the blog until later this week. I guess that means the consensus is no.
Oh well. It was a lark anyway. I mean, I'd really like to take advantage of the open seat opportunity, not to mention the chance to run as an independent (kin to Kinky Friedman and Jesse Ventura), and, frankly, I probably wouldn't win, but I'd be doing it as much to cause a stir as anything. Who wouldn't want that? This city needs to be shaken up a little.
I'd say my vote is more of a "Yes But" than a "No." As Lucky Bob said, you are more than qualified. You'd do a good job in the position, and it would be one helluva an experience, win or lose. The "But" part of my vote comes from wondering what sort of work it would entail from you. How would you campaign? What would your platform be?
I've never even thought of what it would take to run for political office, aside from perhaps trying to convince a certain someone we know to run for their local city government.
I really don't know. From personal experience dating back all the way to the shared time at Boy's State in good o'le Tallahassee, I have not really enjoyed "Politics." The outcome and the potential to do great things is always good and being able to represent people sounds like a great thing. It's just the rest of it that gets to me. Making deals to get deals and all that. Perhaps I am just not cut out for such an environment.
However, I know some people who might thrive in such an environment. Matthew, you are by far the most qualified. You have seen and done the legwork of a campaign as well as have knowledge of how the government works on far more than just a cursory level. I think that there are great things that you could do in office and should certainly run for office if that is what you are passionate about.
But, and this is a personal account and by no means trying to place my own thoughts in your head, I have also found that if you find something you enjoy doing, then that is best being kept an interest or a hobby, or even a side job, instead of being the sole means for providing for yourself. Perhaps it's just be being jaded, or overly cautious, or maybe it's just because I'm just not doing something that I feel passionate about, whatever. I do know that I do not want to open a restaurant for fear that it would ruin my passion for cooking. Real life has a way of corrupting my Rosey ideology of something.
But like I said, I am not you, and I think that you would make a great politician. If for no other reason than you have a remarkable ability to argue and listen to both sides of an issue rather than blindly accepting anything.
So I would run, but only if that is what you really wanted to do. You know what you want to do, and that should be your answer. Know that you will have support from the Mighty Elm and then figure out if you can afford it.
Cause I understand these things are expensive. And make sure that your legal schooling can hold your admissions until after the elections. Hell, you could do this just to be able to debate on TV.
Is the current official Dem or Rep, and how much support does he have? Incumbants can be hard to beat.
Do you have $10,000 "seed" money to kick start your election? Do you have friends that can further finance your run for office?
As an Independent, can you get both financial and campaign support? Having been both a Democrat and Republican, you know they can really help people get started. Can you overcome this edge as an Independent?
Can you hire/get volunteers from LOCAL people to fill the necessary positions of a campaign manager, finance manager, platform adviser, and other jobs such as signs, drivers to take people to polls, etc?
Will having answers to these questions be done in time to actually run a race this fall?
Although you have the support of your family, unless the Elm Street gang can finance you, they don't count because they are not close enough to help and they can't vote in Florida.
Would you be better to run for an "entry level" political job - Tampa city council, Hillsboro County commissioner, etc., to get your name known in political circles? Running for a local office will ultimately limit you to only attending a local law school.
Due to potential Air Force “uncertainties”, you may not be able to either run for office this year, or say you are a veteran of Iraq until you actually step foot in that country.
Answering these questions will determine WHEN you should run for office and this may mean putting it off until after law school, or when you have political credentials in addition to being an Air Force veteran.
These are hard questions for "Jim" to ask, because he knows your friends and family would like you to have a job you'd both be good at and enjoy.
Bottom line, yes, you should run for public office, but only after you have all the answers – an “issues platform”, financial, personnel, and local political support – actually in place.
6 comments:
Are you older than 25? If so, then you are qualified so run!
Whew, that’s a toughy. I had to think about that for a while, and since I am only the second poster, I think others have as well.
I assume you would be running in Florida. I don’t know much about Florida’s state of affairs, but I do know you are more than qualified, especially compared to some of the other bums out there. But my vote doesn’t count. If you were running against the right person you might even be a sure thing. Then comes the question of financing. If the stars are in the right place, it feels right, and it won’t bankrupt you, then I say go for it. You could even ask for an entrance delay on entering law school in case it didn’t work out.
It’s tough deciding whether to set off in an uncharted direction or stay with what is safe and comfortable. You have some support structure in family and friends, and if any of us can do it you can. As Shakespeare and Star Trek have said, “To the undiscovered country.” Cheers and good luck.
Man, nobody is participating in this poll. Even after I deliberately changed the time so it would remain the first entry on the blog until later this week. I guess that means the consensus is no.
Oh well. It was a lark anyway. I mean, I'd really like to take advantage of the open seat opportunity, not to mention the chance to run as an independent (kin to Kinky Friedman and Jesse Ventura), and, frankly, I probably wouldn't win, but I'd be doing it as much to cause a stir as anything. Who wouldn't want that? This city needs to be shaken up a little.
I'd say my vote is more of a "Yes But" than a "No." As Lucky Bob said, you are more than qualified. You'd do a good job in the position, and it would be one helluva an experience, win or lose. The "But" part of my vote comes from wondering what sort of work it would entail from you. How would you campaign? What would your platform be?
I've never even thought of what it would take to run for political office, aside from perhaps trying to convince a certain someone we know to run for their local city government.
I really don't know. From personal experience dating back all the way to the shared time at Boy's State in good o'le Tallahassee, I have not really enjoyed "Politics." The outcome and the potential to do great things is always good and being able to represent people sounds like a great thing. It's just the rest of it that gets to me. Making deals to get deals and all that. Perhaps I am just not cut out for such an environment.
However, I know some people who might thrive in such an environment. Matthew, you are by far the most qualified. You have seen and done the legwork of a campaign as well as have knowledge of how the government works on far more than just a cursory level. I think that there are great things that you could do in office and should certainly run for office if that is what you are passionate about.
But, and this is a personal account and by no means trying to place my own thoughts in your head, I have also found that if you find something you enjoy doing, then that is best being kept an interest or a hobby, or even a side job, instead of being the sole means for providing for yourself. Perhaps it's just be being jaded, or overly cautious, or maybe it's just because I'm just not doing something that I feel passionate about, whatever. I do know that I do not want to open a restaurant for fear that it would ruin my passion for cooking. Real life has a way of corrupting my Rosey ideology of something.
But like I said, I am not you, and I think that you would make a great politician. If for no other reason than you have a remarkable ability to argue and listen to both sides of an issue rather than blindly accepting anything.
So I would run, but only if that is what you really wanted to do. You know what you want to do, and that should be your answer. Know that you will have support from the Mighty Elm and then figure out if you can afford it.
Cause I understand these things are expensive. And make sure that your legal schooling can hold your admissions until after the elections. Hell, you could do this just to be able to debate on TV.
Some specifics please...
What office would be running for?
Is the current official Dem or Rep, and how much support does he have? Incumbants can be hard to beat.
Do you have $10,000 "seed" money to kick start your election? Do you have friends that can further finance your run for office?
As an Independent, can you get both financial and campaign support? Having been both a Democrat and Republican, you know they can really help people get started. Can you overcome this edge as an Independent?
Can you hire/get volunteers from LOCAL people to fill the necessary positions of a campaign manager, finance manager, platform adviser, and other jobs such as signs, drivers to take people to polls, etc?
Will having answers to these questions be done in time to actually run a race this fall?
Although you have the support of your family, unless the Elm Street gang can finance you, they don't count because they are not close enough to help and they can't vote in Florida.
Would you be better to run for an "entry level" political job - Tampa city council, Hillsboro County commissioner, etc., to get your name known in political circles? Running for a local office will ultimately limit you to only attending a local law school.
Due to potential Air Force “uncertainties”, you may not be able to either run for office this year, or say you are a veteran of Iraq until you actually step foot in that country.
Answering these questions will determine WHEN you should run for office and this may mean putting it off until after law school, or when you have political credentials in addition to being an Air Force veteran.
These are hard questions for "Jim" to ask, because he knows your friends and family would like you to have a job you'd both be good at and enjoy.
Bottom line, yes, you should run for public office, but only after you have all the answers – an “issues platform”, financial, personnel, and local political support – actually in place.
Jim
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