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Opening Arguments

A miracle year?

There is a much stronger "throw all the bums out" rumble this year than in past congressional-election years. Even Mike Pence mentioned it when he interviewed with us a couple of weeks ago. Fort Wayne resident Rob Binford did a guest column expressing the anger out there pretty well:

There is only way voters can demonstrate that “we the people” are still in charge. We need to send them all home. Fire each and every one of them! Nothing less than a clean sweep of all incumbents will get the job done.

If you think your own representative should be spared because he or she has done a pretty good job of bringing home the bacon, you need to remember that what looks like “bacon” to you looks like “pork” to everyone else.

Forget the incumbents' standard argument that we need experienced representatives who know how government works. The way Washington works is precisely the problem, and it will never change as long as the incumbents who manipulate and benefit from the process are still around.

The only way to change the process is to change the players and hold the new players to higher standards. Then if the newly elected Congress resumes the old ways, we can just send them home, too, and try again.

Why should you vote to unseat an incumbent who shares your political philosophy? Start by considering what he or she has actually accomplished to make that philosophy a reality. Most elected officials talk a good game but achieve precious few results.

I doubt if anything close to what these people want will happen. Any of it that does will affect Republicans more than Democrats. But if such a miracle were possible, this would be the year for it.

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