Always look on the bright side of scandal
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:04:06 PM EST
'Some things in life are bad,'
'They can really make you mad,'
'Other things just make you swear and curse,'
'When you're chewing on life's gristle,'
'Don't grumble, give a whistle,'
'And this'll help things turn out for the best, and...'
I'll be honest with you all: like a lot of people who work in politics, I walk a fine line between optimism and pessimism. My outlook changes with the headlines, and sometimes it's hard to keep upbeat about things when it seems like society and government are falling to pieces around you.
But you never know where the silver lining is going to show up. Monty Python had it right in the above song - sometimes you have have to look at the bright side of life.
So among the scandals of today? What, you're probably asking, could possibly be the bright side of Pagegate, Abramoff, Cunningham, Jefferson, and all the rest? Well, it's simple:
All of a sudden, everyone's interested in politics.
Politics is a water-cooler topic, a dinner-table subject, an issue to discuss after Sunday services, and this year the interest of American voters is at its highest level in more than a decade.
What does this mean for the elections this year?
The level of interest outpaces 1994 when Republicans swept Democrats from power in Congress. It's a far cry from the weeks after the disputed 2000 presidential election when discussion of politics was verboten at many family gatherings, especially those with carving knives nearby.
The high levels of political interest are driven largely by Democratic anger and optimism that they can win in November. Republican interest is close to its usual levels...
To be fair, it's not just sex scandals and corruption investigations that are piquing the voting public's interest. There is also a war going on, and the economy is ailing. But candidates have been reaching out to voters at an unprecedented level this campaign cycle, and to everyone's surprise, finding a different audience than they're used to.
Becky Mayer of Waverly, Tenn., votes in spite of political advertising.
"The political ads are awful," she said. "My mother taught me if you don't have nothing nice to say, don't say nothing."
But Mayer hasn't lost faith that a politician someday will earn her vote.
"Somebody, somewhere will come along and be for the people," she said. "I keep hoping."
Just keep hoping. Always look on the bright side of life, and even the worst scandals can bring about good.
Tags: Ethics in Government, Mark Foley, voter turnout, scandal (all tags)
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