Civics Lesson...Again

It's amazing what lessons you retain and what lessons you forget. Civics was obviously a subject for me that I simply didn't retain. Don't get me wrong, I got straight A's in Civics and American History, but if you would have asked me back in December how you become a representative of the people, I would not have been able to give you a correct answer.

Now that I've relearned this important lesson while watching my husband, I could get excited about politics. (Note that I say "could").

Through the years since high school, I had forgotten how much "we the people" truly do shape our elections and our elected officials. Take the caucuses for instance. Any registered voter living within each district can attend these events. They can choose to attend the Republican or the Democratic caucus. They then are able to help decide the party platform, vote for delegates or become a delegate to help elect party representatives, and discuss politics with other voters.

And then take the conventions. These are also separated by party. Up until the convention, candidates will attempt to contact the delegates that were elected at the caucuses. They will discuss their positions on the issues and explain why they are the candidate to endorse. At the convention, the delegates are given the opportunity to vote for the candidate that they want to bare their party name on the ballot in the primary and/ or the general election.

Over the past months, I've watched my husband spend hours on the phone, hours on the street door knocking, and hours at home strategizing. To me, nothing is more inspiring than listening to him talk to a delegate or hear an amazing story about some one he met at the door step. I believe that the route he's taking to getting elected is the route that was intended when caucuses, conventions, and elections were first started in our country.

Not every candidate goes about this process the "right way." It's up to the voters to determine which candidates are in it for the right reasons and which ones only have their own welfare in mind. I'm beginning to realize while watching my husband's race and other races in the area that finding the "genuine" candidate is harder than I had thought.

Not every voter gets a front row seat to a campaign like I do. I know that my husband is in it for the right reasons, how do I determine which other candidates are as well?

Who am I...

If you've found this blog, chances are you already know who my husband is. And, chances are you don't know much about me. I don't want to bore you with my life story, but to get a better understanding of where my opinions are coming from, I'll give you all some background.

I better put a disclaimer on this as well. While I fully support my husband's race, my opinions do not always reflect his. That is exactly why I am writing this blog. To give you a different perspective on a political race.

I grew up in Southeast Minnesota.  My father owns his own business selling crop insurance and spends all of his time with some of the hardest working individuals I know, farmers. Until a few years ago, my mother worked for a custom home builder and has recently retired to help out my dad's business.

I left the state of Minnesota after college to gain some perspective and to try something new and different for a few years. After living in four different states and marrying my husband, we collectively agreed to move to Minnesota. Something about experiencing life in other states that truly makes you appreciate this state!

Okay. Enough gushing. Now to my political background (or lack there of...)

My friends and family that know me well are probably dropping their jaws at the above statement. I have never been a person that not only gets involved with politics, but publicly discusses politics! So the idea that I have a political background is a bit of a shock.

I have always considered myself an "informed" voter. By this I mean that I never went to the polls blind. If I hadn't heard about a candidate before election day, I made sure to research that candidate before I made my decision in the voter's booth. I did this by spending some time on each candidate's website, searching their name in the local paper(s), and glancing through any other mentions that popped up when I googled their name. After going through this process for both or all candidates, I would make my decision. As you can guess, this means that I am not a registered Republican or Democrat. Yes, I am in the gray area of voters that considers themselves undecided, or in political speak, independent.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the extent of my political background. So...take my opinions for what you will, but they just that, opinions.