It's a really cold October morning in Wusta. I'm on my way to work. At the intersection ahead I spy a campaign sign. Another one of them poor devils, I think to myself. Who in their right mind would stand outdoors with a coffee and campaign sign in hand looking absolutely foolish, if not pathetic? None other than the council candidates and their worker bees.I often wonder what the average Worcesterite looks for in a politician? Good looks, vitality, intelligence, nice shoes? Integrity maybe? None of the above. They want a scapegoat.
In my travels I've gathered this much. If the average Worcestertonian has a problem i.e., missed leaf pickup or a leaky fire hydrant they blame the councilor and then vote against him, or her - we're expected to carry grudges. Voting against - say what? The concept of voting against was explained to me by a smart lady, a Clark grad, and a staunch Republican no less! It's not about voting for someone, rather voting against by not using all your votes with the at-large candidates.
So what's the local intelligentsia thinking? What's their take? There's nothing on the WRRB (the B stands for Biased) or the Worcester Consortium (just kidding with that one) websites that would shed light into the inner workings of the voter's mind. Over the years surely someone must have pondered that question. But ya don't need a think-tank to conclude what the incumbents have known for some time. It's easier to toss the natives a few million for a pet issue just before an election, instead of showing real courage and telling the voters there are still hard decisions to be made, and save the millions for something really important. But who said integrity was a prerequisite for the job huh?
None the less the candidates are convinced that Worcesterpudlians are still susceptible to their media blitz up to the moment they enter the voting precinct. So they place their worker bees near the entrance. Looking utterly forlorn they give us a meek grin or a nod, hoping we'll give their man, or woman, one of our precious votes. Why should we? We rarely see or hear from him, or her, except when they crawl out of their bunkers every two years and deny any responsibility for our misfortune.
Dutifully, come November 3rd, I will be voting. Ya know, I get the feeling we've definitely hit the bottom of the barrel with this election.
PS. Do the candidates actually vote for themselves? Is that legal? I noticed in the campaign donation records how they cross-donate. Candidate Q donates a $100 each to candidates X, Y, and Z. Then Z, Y and X each donate $100 to candidate Q. What does that mean? Do they do that with their votes too? I'll bet there's a lot of cheating going on.
