The type of politician we need in 2012

I keep hearing people say that our government is broken, that bureaucracies don’t work, that we can’t trust the government.  But that is completely false.  The problem isn’t the government, it is the politicians we elect.  Time and time again we vote for a person simply based on a party affiliation, or we vote for the person who was lucky enough to catch us at home when they knocked on our door.  We use one issue to decide who to vote for and we discount the others based on one issue.

That is no way to elect somebody to repair a system that you consider broken.  If we want things to work, we need to elect people who are thoughtful, creative, considerate, and who see the big picture.

In 2012, we need to begin electing politicians who are willing to look at evidence and statistics, and use that data to decide how to vote on an issue, not vote on an issue based on a pledge that was signed to get the endorsement of a special interest group, or vote based on how the politicians affiliated party feels in general about issues of that type. 

We need politicians who think for themselves and who think about Minnesota values and the future of Minnesota.  They need to consider how the decisions they make will affect the next few generations, if not every generation going forward.  They need to work together to be creative and considerate of everybody in their district, not just the people who support them or give them money.

We need politicians who are proud of working together and proud to get things done that make Minnesota better, not politicians who are proud that they created a chasm in public, insulted the other party in a clever way, or proud that their name is in the news.

I’m hoping for a movement of moderates to reengage with the parties that have pushed them out over the last 2 to 3 decades.  There is no place for ideological extremists in mainstream politics.