I remember well, walking up to the polling place some years ago and marking a big "X" for the federal candidate of my choice. The person who could make a difference. Or, so I believed at the time.
But now, looking at the Republican dogfight in the U.S. House, can anyone in that place make a difference? Is there any GOP sanity left in those (formerly) hallowed halls?
It doesn't seem so.
The whole current mess stems from one simple thing. One man's ego-driven - almost maniacal - attempt to cling to power. The power that is attached to the Speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives. A military jet on call. A large suite of offices. A significantly larger staff. Media attention. Much bowing and scraping before that person.
Compounding the problem is the individual who currently holds that power is someone who's never effectively used it to any worthwhile end. The most ineffectual Speaker in my long memory.
Democrats in the House can quietly sit on the sidelines and watch. This is an internecine squabble that has brought the wheels of legislative action to a complete halt.  The best thing Democrats can do is just keep quiet.
Kevin McCarthy's struggle to stay in that high office is a craven example of grasping for power simply for self. He's brought nothing in the way of accomplishment to the fray. His previous occupancy shows miserably few successes. He's used the powers of the office to settle scores with old "enemies" while trying to keep a lid on the contentiousness of his own Party. An effort he's not been able to accomplish.
While McCarthy is waging this fight for political power, our nation is about to hit a meaningful deadline: the necessity of a budget for the coming two years. A deadline of September 30th.
He's well-aware of that fact. Yet, he continues to put himself before country and before the oath of office he's taken several times. The fight he's waging is driven by ego. He's got the power - and all the accouterments of that power - and thoughts of what's best for the nation or even his own political Party are nowhere to be found.
When former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was ousted by a new majority in the House, she quietly took a seat in the back and kept her mouth shut. She's probably been a source of invaluable experience for the Democratic Caucus. But, she's not voiced any undue criticism of McCarthy or his actions. Though he certainly deserves criticism.
If McCarthy loses his fight, the next question is, if not McCarthy for Speaker, then who? Any Republican names come quickly to mind? Anyone who's been able to form an effective coalition in the House?
I can't come up with a name. I'm certain there are plenty of "wannabees" but, not on my radar.
The national Republican Party has become such a fractious mess and no one, it seems, can bring all the pieces together. Good, solid voices - like Mitt Romney - are walking away from a Party that badly needs the voice of reason that is now lacking in the GOP.
There exists a divisiveness not seen in many, many years. It's not just the normal discontent within a Party. It's become so much an "us vs. them" struggle within the GOP that the Party lacks direction and has become ungovernable. I'd guess that has a lot to do with Romney's decision to quit. And, there'll likely be others.
There are forces building that'll make the elections of 2024 much more important than other recent turnouts. Voting for a President, yes. But, down-ballot voting is looking like a whole new and vastly important exercise. Every seat in the House will be up-for-grabs. And, a third of the Senate.
It'll be directly up to voters to determine what the next Congress looks like. And, sounds like. If voters can look beyond their usual balloting for incumbents - if they'll be open to researching new faces and new voices - the next Congress can be very different. And, maybe less contentious. Maybe more effective. And, younger.
New - and much younger - candidates can change the face of an aging political body. The new blood, represented by 40-50 and even 60-year-old new faces, can get things back on track. Can rise above the stalemate we're currently living with.
This nation is facing serious issues that need full attention. Issues like climate change and environmental damage. Issues lost in the calamity of a badly divided political Party - a badly divided Congress - a damaged and divided country.
Considering the work to be done, the political fortunes of a Kevin McCarthy pale to almost nothing. McCarthy made his deals with the devil(s) on his doorstep years ago. In his personal, ego-driven grasp for power, he now faces "payback time." The petard on which he's impaled is his own.
What's facing this nation - in multiple challenges - is so much more important than whether McCarthy keeps his government-provided limousine service. There's a large, mostly unused bicycle rack at the foot of the Capitol steps.
Time for Kevin to get pedaling.
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