When Your Favorite Candidate Doesn't Win

Of course I'd considered the possibility although it was always hastily tossed aside. I thought I'd be less eager to hit the blogs today. I thought I'd be hanging my head or drowning my tears in imaginary beer (I don't drink). So far the worst that's happened is a slept in a bit longer and found that the world did not end. The sun came up this morning. My next response was, blogging on a Wednesday? I don't blog on Wednesday. However, today I must if for no other reason than I just know there will be some folks (*cough Peter Deane, Blue Gill cough* who will find my absence from certain local blogs a sign that I'm pining away never to be seen again. Not a chance folks, not a chance.

I find that today, there are no tears or no regrets. I was a part of a great team who worked hard and had fun working together. In three months we convinced over 9,000 people that not only did our candidate actually exist, but that they should also vote for her. I promise you, 9,000 people have absolutely no idea who I am so that number seems amazing to me, but since the other guy had 21,000 people waiting in the wings to our 9000, it just wasn't enough. (Psst...Someone called me this morning and told me that some folks expected our candidate to have about 900 votes not 9,000 and the folks in the other camp plan to have a nice heart to heart with their candidate before November. The intrigue lives on.)

Strangely enough, I don't find myself thinking of all the things I could have done. An extra hour on the honk and wave. The signs we didn't put up. The calls we didn't make. The time we just couldn't find. I know I worked a lot and put in a lot of time but hindsight is not always 20/20. Those rose-colored glasses can be a kick in the butt when you think of every moment as a lost possibility. So maybe there is a small regret. Not for who I chose to support, but definitely that there may have been one thing I could have done to tip the scales more favorably. I know that is unreasonable but "what could have been" is just a part of being human.

Do I still think the candidate I chose would have done the best job? The answer to that is an unequivocal 'Yes.' We just won't get a chance to prove it. And I won't be a spoilsport either. I've decided that I'll throw my support behind the other guy now. Well I won't be volunteering for him any time soon, I don't think he deserves it, but he has earned my vote, which is more than I ever would have done for him before.

I've learned the art of compromise. I know some of you will find that amusing or unbelievable. I've taken an awfully hard line of Dumas being a better candidate than Pepper and trust me, I still think that's true. But tomorrow is another day and now I have to settle for what I hope, but really don't believe, will be the lesser of two evils. He's earned my vote, but he has yet to win my respect.

So, what do you do when your favorite candidate doesn't win a primary? You sleep in a little for the first time in weeks. You decide whether or not you'll vote for the other guy. You take in the day and blog a little.

Life isn't as sweet toady as it would be if Dumas had won, but I find I don't need that imaginary beer either. There's already a new challenge on the horizon.

Boycotting the Enquirer.

Comments

  1. Deb:

    Thanks for your hard work on the Dumas campaign. While I supported her opponent, Stephanie seems to be everything you claimed she was-- a classy human being who cares deeply about her community.

    I do hope you'll consider helping in the efforts to replace Phil Heimlich on the Hamilton County Commission, but either way, you deserve credit for volunteering your time and skills on a campaign like Stephanie's. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete

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