We’re Back…
I know I disappeared without so much as a word to anyone, but I needed a break. Honestly, blogging during a full blown campaign season isn’t really my idea of fun. Sure, I’ve done it for years. But, the truth is, what really gets me going is discussing and influencing policy, and campaigns may be a about a lot of things, but true policy discussions don’t really fit into the mix.
General rule of thumb in a campaign is if you can’t get your point across in less than thirty seconds, don’t bother trying to discuss the issue. All of the basics (i.e. lower taxes. limited government, and personal responsibility) can be addressed in thirty seconds, but addressing the hard decisions (i.e. what happens when we enter into a double dip recession, or how to restore confidence in a country in flux) are a heck of a lot more complicated. So, between the primary and the general election, I limited my involvement to doing civic duty by voting and encouraging those in my sphere of influence to do the same.
Now, comes the hard part.
Republicans have once again made inroads in ways we haven’t seen in more than two generations – or more. With Susana Martinez, our country has its first female Hispanic Governor, and Dianna Duran is the first Republican to hold the Secretary of State position since 1930. Plus, having won eight seats in the State House of Representatives gives us a presences unlike any we’ve had since 1929. If the Republicans can keep their caucus strong, which I believe they can, they’ve got their first shot to fix New Mexico government in a long, long time.
Of course, the situation on the national level is also very similar with the image of Election Day maps painted a sea of red. So, now we have two immediate policy threats, a lameduck Congress, and the ability of the newly elected to remember that the people who voted them into office expect that the promises they made yesterday will be kept today.
Which means, yours truly once again has a reason to blog.