Political developments are good daytime drama

Lou Marzeles
Editor and Publisher

     There’s no way around it. The topic du jour is definitely politics and the peculiar state of that entertaining pastime this year.
     It’s a volatile year, in which perennially favorite candidates like Doc Hastings are taking withering verbal fire primarily because they’ve been in office as long as they have. If Hastings doesn’t show up at a certain event—such as last week’s candidate night here in Goldendale—he will get chastised in absentia by some, irrespective of his reasons for not being present. Such is the temperament of an impatient constituency this year.
     It doesn’t look good if a candidate tries to stay disengaged from the early rounds of contests, and look above the fray. The crowd this year wants a good fray, and it wants good frayers. It wants those in office to prove they’ve earned their keep, because people want to keep what they’ve earned.
     There is a feeling in the air that it’s an anything-goes election year, fraught with potential surprise and drama, and that something really good might come of it. There is a considerable range of candidate and platforms out there to choose from this year, from declaring federal income tax to be unconstitutional to conspicuously putting the word “God” in the very first statement of a candidate platform.
     It’s “As the Political World Turns,” a real-life daytime drama with characters we come to care about, whether we like them or not. The denouement is a few months away, and the developments are engaging to watch.