Trail Mix

Are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.  — Plato

By Blue Bronc, a Trail Mix Contributor

What a feeling I awakened with this morn.  Friday evening was the Anne Arundel County Central Committee annual dinner.  A meeting of the most political of political people in politics.  People who are the unseen forces behind the every Democratic Party Member running for any office.  The people who watch CSPAN and listen to NPR, or are on NPR or CSPAN.  The people who watch Prime Minister’s Questions.

Oh, and there were the elected too.  Anne Arundel County provides the high power to the Maryland Assembly.  The fight to keep Governor Hogan from going all Republican on Maryland rests with the Speaker of House, Rep. Busch.  A few miles away is the now blinding white dome over the Congress. Several Maryland members of the Congress came to the dinner too.  Rep. Steny Hoyer was great as usual. Our candidates to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski spoke well and gave good reasons to vote for either of them. Sen. Mikulski was not at the dinner to my disappointment.

The night was even more exciting because of the key note speaker, Rep. Elijah Cummings.  Oh the deep feelings he brought out.  His speech was full, heartfelt and powerful; from his poor childhood and that of his parents as near slaves in South Carolina, to today as one of the most important Democrats in the Congress.  He is the one man who destroyed Republican attempts to blame Ms. Clinton for Benghazi and pretty much everything else that has happened since the Romans left England.

He reminded us of what we are – Democrats.  We can see what Mr. Weird Hair is doing, and why those voting for him do so.  We are Democrats and we must never forget why so many are falling for the bluster and wild talk.  It is up to us to make life better for all Americans.

For all the political power in the room, and there was a lot, we enjoyed a nice night together.  In politics one often gives everything to achieve the win, or preventing someone else from winning.  Long hard hours, constantly promoting your candidates, often calling people asking for money.  You make this relaxation time your fun time.

Okay, politics is still in the air. Rather, politics is the air.

You have slogged through so far and want the candy.  Today, there is no candy.  Today is the “ask”.  The point of all this is to lure you into getting involved in politics.  Politics is the putting a stamp on an envelope.  It is getting a nice walk on a weekend to meet fifty or one hundred people at their homes to hand them literature about a candidate.  It is driving a candidate from one house party to another house party (you get to eat campaign food doing this).  It is doing whatever you feel comfortable doing to help elect a woman or man you want to represent you.

A dinner, you pay a lot for, is a reward.  No awards are given out.  Maybe a shout out, but most likely not.  The dinner is how political people take a break from politics.  More politics.

A side effect is you might want to run for office too.  That is a blast, at least for some of us.  For others, not so much a blast as a drudge through the mud.