The Scoop: Will Democrats buy the paper?
I’ve discovered there’s a flip side to this great democracy of ours.
We do get to elect our government officials by popular vote. That’s the overwhelming advantage.
We also have to put up with politicians — and more specifically political parties. That can prove to be a headache even extra strength Tylenol can’t handle.
The latest stir comes from our local Democratic Party. It seems the Democrats, upset about recent newspaper coverage, want to buy the Southern Standard.
Now I’m not sure how far along negotiations have proceeded or if the two sides are even close to striking a deal. To my knowledge, the Standard is not for sale, but that’s just an assumption.
I usually operate under the logic that everything is for sale. I say that because my house is not on the market, but I would be out the door by this time tomorrow if someone offered me, say, a half million dollars for it.
I love my dog – a loyal companion for the last eight years – but I do have my limits. He’s not for sale, but for $25,000, he could be your dog.
Using that same logic, I’m sure the Standard could be bought for the right price. Of course I don’t think local Democrats have that kind of cash handy.
They do have a little bit of anger and some of them expressed that to me Tuesday night while we were waiting for election results. It seems the newspaper didn’t cover a fairly big Democratic function a few weeks back so now I’ve been labeled as siding with the Republicans.
Yikes. Look what a mess I’ve gotten myself into now. I do, however, find it a refreshing change. I say that because I’ve been called a lot of names in my time, but I don’t believe Republican has ever been one of them.
Usually it’s the Republicans who are pointing fingers and classifying every news agency in the country as “the liberal media.” Usually it’s the Republicans who are howling about some conspiracy, some deep-rooted plan to knock their candidate from contention.
There’s a reason I don’t always embrace politics with open arms. The reason is one side is always telling me I’m in favor of the other. In actuality, I’m not with either side – and I don’t ever want to be.
It’s my thinking we’d be better off to judge candidates based on their merits rather than their party affiliation. If I like a certain candidate, that’s the person who is going to receive my vote.
Local politics are the perfect example. There’s no Republican Primary here and thus no candidates ever run for office as Republicans. You’re classified as either a Democrat or an independent – even if you are a staunch Republican. This doesn’t make much sense.
The two-party system is inhibiting on the state and national levels. To make a long story short, you’re not likely to get elected unless you’re from the Democratic or Republican parties.
Most of us remember Ross Perot and his presidential push a few years back, but that was an aberration. Not many people are filthy rich, like Perot, and could afford to fork over millions to mount a serious presidential campaign. Even with all that cash – and the fact he was included in presidential debates – still only earned Perot a tiny portion of the overall votes.
After all these years, it’s no surprise the Democrats and Republicans have grown suspicious of one another. What’s surprising is the Democrats would accuse me of favoring the Republicans. When it comes to politics, I’m as neutral as they come.
That is unless the Democrats do buy the newspaper. In that case, my new motto is “Go Gore.”
(James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)