Give me a Racist, Misogynist, pot-smoking Politician – Please! – UPDATE – Oct 8, 2016

A quick update on whether I still believe that someone running for office should not be judged by their past mistakes

So back in Sept 2015 when the Canadian federal elections were going on and we saw one good candidate after another go down in flames because of something they said or posted on social media 5 years earlier, I wrote the following post – never imagining the headlines today.

“Give me a Racist, Misogynist, pot-smoking Politician”

I feel personally responsible for Donald Trump. I am sorry.

At the bottom of this comment, I have included my original post just so those who didn’t read it before can get some context.

The question is – should Donald Trump be held accountable for something he said 5, 10, 15 years ago? Is something posted on the Internet years ago still a reflection of your character?

Can I really stand by MY post of last year stating that people should not be judged by their past activities or do I have to recant?

Personally I think the point of being able to move forward is if you believe that the person has really changed their viewpoint and is sincerely sorry for their comments. Most men have locker room moments when they say or do things that they would cringe if the rest of the world heard them. Perhaps we ladies have a few moments of our own. Is something said in a moment of bravado really a reflection of someone’s true thoughts or character?

I have decided to stand by my original post. I still believe that people can change and that I would rather have someone who is real than someone who is sanitized.

And I don’t believe that Trump’s misstep of years ago is a reason to hang him but I also don’t believe that this is an isolated incident, something he is sorry for or someone who should ever lead anything. I wouldn’t take him as a kindergarten volunteer.

As others have pointed out, we can ignore that audiotape and only take things he has said in the last 15 minutes and still have enough ammunition to denounce him as mentally unstable.

So did the audiotape sway me? No. It didn’t need to. I was already swayed by his mockery of the poor, the handicapped, the immigrant, other cultures and his recent comments about women.

Don’t judge Trump by who he was years ago – judge him by who he is today. I rest my case.

Original Post Sept 17, 2015

I am referring to the many good people who have stepped down from running because of something they put on their Facebook page when they were young.

Like none of us have ever had a moment of racism or a time when we really hated the opposite sex. Does this make us racist? No. Misogynist? No. It makes us human. It means we have lived our lives and loved and lost and learned and grew.

It means that they had the honesty to say how they really felt at that moment. Being honest is something we complain that politicians are not but we fry them if they reveal themselves to be human.

What kind of representative do you want? Someone who is very good at coloring in the lines? Someone who never says anything that might be controversial? Someone that has never lived or learned or changed their mind about how they felt about a subject?

As someone who is interested in politics and is actively engaged in my community, I meet a lot of politicians. I am always amazed at the lack of strong leadership in our candidates. Not everybody. I know some really really good politicians but many of the candidates I meet are lacking people skills, leadership skills, and a basic human heartbeat. They are cold, quiet, sanitized, obedient servants of the master. I can’t stand it. Give me someone with his or her own brain, please.

I can tell you that the days of strong leadership and honesty may well be behind us. Not because some of these people aren’t strong or honest but because we as an electorate have decided that we won’t vote for anything but a sanitized version of a dull, tow-the-party-line, hidden agenda, white washed human being. Someone who has never made a mistake either because he/she has covered it up or because they have never has covered it up well or because they have never once stepped out of their comfort zone and taken a chance on anything…ever.

Give me someone who has posted something inappropriate on Facebook. Please. It means they once had an opinion. Furthermore they listened and learned more about the situation and changed their mind about their previously held opinion.

Hmm, ever done that? You know, learned something new, met someone from that group of people that you didn’t like and find out that people are just people, some good, some bad. Ever learned and changed your mind on something you once held to be truth?

Ever had an ex? Remember how you felt about them in the beginning…and now?

Welcome to the human condition.

I will vote for someone based on who they are today – not who they were two years ago.

Give me a real human being. I need someone who has a heart for the people they serve instead of believing that they are smarter than their constituents and they know what is best.

Give me someone who isn’t afraid to fight for their beliefs, even when they are unpopular.

Give me someone who isn’t afraid to admit that they made a mistake and that they will take steps to correct it.

Give me a real leader with guts. Remember those days?

I will vote because it is my duty as a Canadian and as a woman to honor those who fought for my right to vote.

I will take the time to read differing opinions on the issues of the day and I will use my own God given brain to decide which policies I support and which I do not.

I will call out lies. Even on Facebook. Even if that means losing friends.

I will not take cheap shots on a person of any party because they are a human beings and I can disagree with their politics and still respect them as people.

I will not believe everything I read on Facebook. I will take a minute to research for my own self.

I will attend at least one debate in my area so I can use my gut to tell me which of the candidates will represent me best.

I will freely acknowledge that all parties have done some things right and some things wrong. Although I will not vote Conservative, I don’t believe Harper is the anti-Christ. There is no one answer. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I will listen to differing opinions because I might learn something.

I will continue to do everything I can to support my community, my province and my country because I am a proud Canadian and I believe it is my duty.

I will continue to volunteer my time and resources to help those less fortunate because it my compassion defines me as a person.

I will take the time to read up on the issue facing Canada because it is my duty as a citizen to be informed.

I will have an opinion and I will change it when new information comes in.

I would have made a great politician but after a bad experience I once posted something on Facebook about hating spiders so…….