Harry's Gang: Let's hope we get what we want after Election Day

It seems that, with the elections just a few days away, much of the conversation we hear involves politics and candidates. We've divided our nation so deeply I fear it will take a miracle, or maybe a major event, to get us back together as a country.

Each side demonizes the other: it's no longer just a passionate discussion about how to solve the everyday problems that come up in trying to run a country ourselves. No, the political conversation has resorted to name-calling, slander, alternative facts, propaganda and misinformation. Not a day goes by where I don't hear someone refer to the other side as "evil." And that national attitude has crept down into state politics. Such divisive conduct is getting dangerously close to our local elections. It's simply unnecessary.

I think I know who is to blame for the deep shift to negative campaigning.

I'm concerned that we rely on television ads to choose whom we want as our elected leaders. Packaging a candidate into a slick advertising campaign does little to help democracy. You don't really learn about a candidate by watching TV ads. "I support jobs, and protecting you and your family. I'll fight hard for you. Let's all work together to make this Great State even better for the hardworking people of Minnesota." That doesn't really say anything, does it? Yet most TV ads sound identical, with very little content but plenty of emotion.

Or even worse ... in the ads that DO specify their positions, but only on hot button issues: "I'll fight to protect your Second Amendment rights" or "I'll save our environment and not allow any new mining." So what? It's not as if the government spends all its time debating gun control or passing out mining permits. Most of a legislature's work is dealing with minute issues that are necessary to smoothly operate our government. Who cares what your position is on the environment when the legislature is debating bonding bills and tweaks to the criminal code?

Which type of leader do you want?

Recently, I was involved in a real estate deal that was about to crash. It was a tense period for all of us involved, but one of the agents involved was furious. He pointed fingers, demanded answers, made rude, sharp comments to everyone and sent an anthology of nasty emails all around, assigning blame. The other agent, however, started asking questions: how can we fix this? What are our options? Will this work? Will that work? She seemed to want to solve the problem, not create drama.

You can guess how it ended: she came up with a plan that satisfied everyone, and the closing was delayed by a week. Not perfect, of course: the new buyers had to stay in a motel for a while but, hey, it had a swimming pool, which turned what could have been a very unpleasant week into a mildly stressful mini-vacation for the family.

We don't always elect the best and the brightest. In fact, we too often elect the loudest and most crass, sadly. Name recognition is a far better trait in a candidate than hard work, honesty, integrity and leadership.

I am hopeful that the tide turns and we start electing true leaders. It may be too late for this election cycle, but there's no harm in trying to do better next time.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News and an attorney in Esko who will host the talk show Harry's Gang on CAT-7 again soon. His opinions are his own. Contact him at [email protected].