Announcing my Candidacy
I am running for election to the office of President of the United States. I know I am supposed to appear excited about the experience and optimistic about my chances for success. In fact, I dread the process.
In the early days of the campaign, the media will pay little attention to me unless I attract more donations than other candidates. Attracting campaign donations is difficult and potentially compromising work. Individuals, and particularly the organizations that represent them, support the candidates who will further their interests. I'll be tempted to profess more commitment than I feel about various causes and to make unwise promises. I'll be tempted to feign acceptance of ideas that I find objectionable and to seem like someone I'm not. I don't want to be a hypocrite. I want to be honest and let the cards fall where they may. I recognize how difficult that will be, given the pressures involved in presidential politics.
I want to forego many of the stereotypical candidate behaviors. I don't want to glad-hand and kiss babies, nor smile all the time. I don't want to worry about good optics. I don't want to have all the answers nor claim to have a solution to every problem. I don't want ignore context and nuance, reducing my positions to sound bites. I don't want to desperately stick to talking points while ignoring the actual question in debates and interviews. I simply want to present myself as a good choice for the people's most prominent servant. I don't know to what extent I'll be able to resist the pressure to conform. But many people are tired of typical campaigns and politicians. I hope to present a more honest case for myself.
If I become a serious contender, I will be attacked. Many people will reflexively assume the worst about my character, motives, and capacity to represent them because of my party affiliation, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or the color of my skin. Untrue or misleading information will be accepted as fact by many and it will be beyond my ability to monitor or repair the damage to my reputation caused by my innumerable detractors. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that success in this campaign comes at the price of bearing the hatred of many people. I don't look forward to that. I am reluctant to make my family share that burden with me.
Why am I running then?
I will do the job well, whereas I'm afraid no one else will. I believe I have the required integrity, intelligence, temperament, and experience. I don't claim to be exceptional in any of these respects. Those who know me can cite the many times I've been weak, foolish, selfish, or rash. But they can also tell you about the times I have been strong, wise, selfless, or patient. I've had failures and successes in equal measure. My life has been easy at times, while almost unbearable at others. In other words, I'm far more ordinary than what is expected of a president.
Thus I'm running not on my own merits, but on the strength of my conviction about how the job ought to be done. As my campaign advances, I will lay out my ideas for the voters. I hope that voters will extend me enough trust to listen to the words I say and discount the words that will be said about me by those who wish me to fail. I hope they find common ground with me. I hope they want me to serve.
In the early days of the campaign, the media will pay little attention to me unless I attract more donations than other candidates. Attracting campaign donations is difficult and potentially compromising work. Individuals, and particularly the organizations that represent them, support the candidates who will further their interests. I'll be tempted to profess more commitment than I feel about various causes and to make unwise promises. I'll be tempted to feign acceptance of ideas that I find objectionable and to seem like someone I'm not. I don't want to be a hypocrite. I want to be honest and let the cards fall where they may. I recognize how difficult that will be, given the pressures involved in presidential politics.
I want to forego many of the stereotypical candidate behaviors. I don't want to glad-hand and kiss babies, nor smile all the time. I don't want to worry about good optics. I don't want to have all the answers nor claim to have a solution to every problem. I don't want ignore context and nuance, reducing my positions to sound bites. I don't want to desperately stick to talking points while ignoring the actual question in debates and interviews. I simply want to present myself as a good choice for the people's most prominent servant. I don't know to what extent I'll be able to resist the pressure to conform. But many people are tired of typical campaigns and politicians. I hope to present a more honest case for myself.
If I become a serious contender, I will be attacked. Many people will reflexively assume the worst about my character, motives, and capacity to represent them because of my party affiliation, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or the color of my skin. Untrue or misleading information will be accepted as fact by many and it will be beyond my ability to monitor or repair the damage to my reputation caused by my innumerable detractors. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that success in this campaign comes at the price of bearing the hatred of many people. I don't look forward to that. I am reluctant to make my family share that burden with me.
Why am I running then?
I will do the job well, whereas I'm afraid no one else will. I believe I have the required integrity, intelligence, temperament, and experience. I don't claim to be exceptional in any of these respects. Those who know me can cite the many times I've been weak, foolish, selfish, or rash. But they can also tell you about the times I have been strong, wise, selfless, or patient. I've had failures and successes in equal measure. My life has been easy at times, while almost unbearable at others. In other words, I'm far more ordinary than what is expected of a president.
Thus I'm running not on my own merits, but on the strength of my conviction about how the job ought to be done. As my campaign advances, I will lay out my ideas for the voters. I hope that voters will extend me enough trust to listen to the words I say and discount the words that will be said about me by those who wish me to fail. I hope they find common ground with me. I hope they want me to serve.
Comments
Post a Comment