Candidate 5

 

I was sitting in the audience in a candidate forum that took place on a farm when I had my first hand account with evil.  

 

I had been traveling with my own candidate for a little under a year, visiting fairs, festivals and other social gatherings throughout the district. I knew that this would be a new experience for me as a volunteer and that I would soon learn a lot more about how the world of politics actually worked beyond what I knew from TV, social media and education.

 

When I heard that this forum was going to take place on a farm, I had visions of wooden barns, small wooden stages and perhaps some hay bales for seating.  This location was completely different. The facility was enormous enough to be about the size of a big box store, complete with a shiny cement floor, high ceiling, and a large red tractor that looked like it belonged on a showroom floor.  I don’t know what other purpose this facility had on this farm, but it certainly fit the purpose of a candidate forum.

 

I listened intently as all 8 of the candidates made their cases before the silent audience, expressing their viewpoints on matters of policy and on economic development.  Most of the candidates, including the one I had been working with sounded pretty reasonable and some were even passionate about their positions and their experiences

 

It wasn’t until the 5th candidate, did I notice a very distinct shift in tone.  From the moment he started speaking, I could almost feel the oxygen just leaving the room.  Every word he spoke, and every pause he took was specifically designed to work like a slave master’s whip, lashing out in a steady rhythmic and unrelenting cadence. This man was not asking for a vote;.he was demanding obedience. 

 

Those who came after him, had similar messages to his but they were nowhere near as aggressive as this man.   

 

When the last candidate spoke, I breathed a sigh of relief.

 

I learned something about myself that day

 

I don’t need a candidate that is going to be aggressive and bombastic and certainly not someone who demands obedience. 

 

I need someone that I could actually feel comfortable with. Someone who would just as soon be a good friend as well as being a good leader. Someone real.

 

Candidate number 5 definitely failed that criterion.