The Game has Changed

But many don't seem to know it yet.

It used to be that politicians and their operatives held backroom meetings to decide the direction of things. That worked well until Covid happened and citizens saw the mess. Awe morphed into anger. And anger translated into action.

These one time bystanders grudgingly entered the political arena. They wanted their towns, cities, schools, and state normal again.

They aren’t political activists. They don’t care about political hierarchy. And most don’t have political aspirations. In their real lives they are business operators, marketing executives, farmers, engineers, accountants, ranchers, .…

Since they work in the private sector, they have performance expectations. A few years ago, someone could be elected as Secretary of State or Auditor as a political favor or because they would do the party’s bidding. Now citizens are monitoring every move. If performance doesn’t meet expectations, the citizens ask questions and, if necessary, show up en masse to get issues addressed. Also, it used to be that politicians could make political missteps without consequence. Now these highly skilled and connected citizens seem to remember everything.

As an outsider to the political world, one of the strangest things has been watching some people from the political class react to citizens joining the political process by “throwing tantrums”. It’s hard to know what to make of it, but normally this type of behavior would earn a five year old a “time out”.

It has been eye-opening, as well, to see people send political operators in from out of state to push their agendas. The money, glossy marketing materials, and slick speakers just seem to breed distrust and anger. And then the citizens say, “No thanks”.

While it is different, the citizen involvement post-Covid seems positive. The more the citizens take control, the more “normal” things become.