We aren’t the voters we were hoping for

As a political commentator this year’s race has begun to wear on me too.

Newt hates Mitt, Mitt hates Newt. Ron hates all of them and everyone but a small group of highly energized voters won’t vote for Ron. Somehow Santorum is polling better than Obama.. but how is that news?

Gingrich married too many times, Mitt made too much money. Santorum doesn’t like gay marriage and Paul thinks Iran having nukes is OK.

Everyone’s candidate is better than the next and the case is made that if you choose yours over theirs that you will be the reason that Obama is re-elected – oh, how small we are.

The rest of us that aren’t engaging in the “hate everyone but my candidate” try to weigh silly argument over silly argument, this sound bite over that and this out-of-context reference over another – it’s getting old.

While the political elite spur on the fight, they forget that the electorate is nothing like them – nothing. I don’t pretend to know what they are like, mainly because there is no “they”. I know they aren’t like me.. much.

They don’t watch six news channels per day. They don’t read 20-30 blog posts per day and more-than-likely do not search for news sites like ours.. or news sites at all.

They may not listen to talk radio – in fact, probably don’t.

Most voters get up in the morning, read the daily paper (printed or on a smart device) and head to work. Morning radio is more-than-likely an escape – chuckling pair talking about crap that doesn’t matter and is interrupted occasionally by traffic and weather on the 3’s, 6’s or every 10.. or whatever.

They work 8-10 hours, and head home. The radio is not likely tuned to Hannity, Rush or even AM talk radio – it’s probably a less-cute version of the morning dolts. They will still be interrupted by weather, traffic, the latest fashions out of L.A. or whatever.

Getting home means a break from the tyrants at work. Have dinner, play with the kids, talk with the wife and catch some Sports Center on ESPN (yeah, we wish they were a sponsor).

That’s life. Dealing with rich politicians fighting over semantics is not interesting to them – it’s predictable and silly.

It gets a bit old only hearing what we shouldn’t do – what we mustn’t do. It is impossible to be energized by a slew of pundits telling us that every choice is the wrong one – a phrase that any independent considering the Democrat candidate won’t hear from that side of the fence.

This is the problem with a drawn out primary season – voters get beaten over the head with mostly irrelevant sound bites and write-ups for an extended period of time – none of them positive. Sure, it gives more states some time to weigh in, but does it change the outcome?