Every election year, candidates pull out their lists of "important" people. One year, a mayoral candidate took out a whole page ad in the paper, with the names of everyone he knew, apparently. First on the list were all the LDS stake presidents in town. I was appalled.
Incumbent Midge Johnson posts a lengthy list on her website. http://www.midgejohnson.com/support.html
Some people on that list genuinely want to support Midge's candidacy. Good, they have every right to do so. I am not hurt or offended that friends agree with her, and disagree with me. But some people did NOT know they were there. At least one asked to have his name removed. Some are on the list because Midge is a friend and she asked them, so out of friendship, they agreed to let her use their names. Some are NOT even be aware of what an endorsement means.
To put your name on a candidate's literature means that you agree with her, that you approve of her policies, her words and actions, and especially, her votes. You publicly acknowledge that.
An endorsement is supposed to carry weight. Voters are supposed to read the list, recognize a name, and say, "Well, if so-and-so is for her, I guess I should be,too."
When I ran against Midge four years ago, people called me and apologized to me that their name appeared on her list. "I am so sorry, Mel. She wouldn't let me off the phone until I agreed." The one that bothered me was the man who called to say he was declining to endorse anyone, to preserve neighborhood unity, and then his name showed up on Midge's literature. If you want to stay out of the fray, do so.
Prominent people have offered to endorse me. Ironically, one famous politico said he would add his name ONLY if another infamous politico was omitted. And the decision of who is "important enough" for publication is horrifying.
Here's what I decided. I am asking for NO ENDORSEMENTS. I will accept any that are offered, but I will not ask my friends to publicly declare what side they are on in what should be a private decision. There is a reason our voting system is anonymous -- to avoid untenable situations just like this. Midge and I have lived in the same neighborhood for over 30 years. I just cannot put my neighbors in this position.
If your name is on her list, and you don't want to have it there, call her and ask to have it removed. Or call me, and I'll be the designated nasty person.
I am my own endorsement. I do not claim affiliation with ANY special interest group, organization, or sect. My articles here on this blog are the leverage I want to use. The words here accurately reflect my positions.
I believe this decision about endorsements is the right thing to do. "Do what is right, let the consequences follow." To subscribe ANY other motive to my decision is incorrect.
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6 comments:
i couldn't agree more with this article! way to go!!
Yes, I have names -- friends and neighbors and community activists who are in the uncomfortable position of having been asked for their endorsements BEFORE they knew who else was running. Now they are in an embarrasssing situation -- how to tell Midge that they have changed their minds. Will I tell you who? No. That would add to their burden. --mel
I hope you don't take this to be too critical but by using the phrase "Do what is right, let the consequences follow", especially in quotation marks, you are making an affinitive relationship between you and the LDS church. We are all affiliated to people and organizations. I can tell a lot about a person by who they associate with in addition to what they proclaim. Words and declarations are fleeting but long-term friendships are forged by the very things that I feel a politician should possess; i.e., trust, fidelity, integrity. I like to know who endorses who. It provides me with a sense of who someone is that is deeper than what I get when I hear a debate or read a blog. It’s just another piece of the puzzle for me. It is unfortunate that friends can’t support different candidates without hard feelings. I don’t personally know any of the candidates but I am sure that they are all good people and that this doesn’t need to be a choice of good v. evil like many of the past elections have been.
I supported Midge in the last election. She came to me this year and asked me to put a sign on my lawn. I told her " No" because I did not like the way she has voted. My name does not appear on her list this year.
I am supporting Melanie because she listened to me on several issues. studied my information and went the extra mile to study even more. She has changed her mind on some of those issues which shows me that she is willing to vote the way her constituates want her to and not just the way she feels at the time, on a whim.
I, too agree that it's helpful to know who endorses a candidate. The problem that I experienced is that during the last election, Midge Johnson listed me as one of her supporters, but I wasn't aware of it until after the election. I did not then, and do not now endorse her. In fact, I supported Melanie during her last election as well as this one.
Angel Howlett
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