Have you ever voted for a candidate for office because someone you respect recommended it? Someone made an endorsement. Did it affect the way you voted?
Looking back over nearly seven decades of casting a ballot, my answer would be "No." Someone else's political "thinking" has never really affected on my own political decision-making.
This came to mind the other day as I was reading about the anger of the "Orange man" at Kevin McCarthy for the latter's refusing to endorse his latest bid for the presidency. Trump blew another gasket to which McCarthy replied with the "f" word
This got me to thinking about all the candidates, issue voting and other choice-making at the ballot box I'd encountered during those aforementioned decades. Had I ever let my vote be influenced by someone else's recommendation?
The answer, as I said, was "No."
I've never understood the worth of most endorsements. Oh, there are some, usually union-connected, that carry weight with a lot of people. Nothing like getting the United Auto Workers behind you. That can make a real difference.
But, most of us don't have such a connection. We're individuals and, most of the time, we follow our own instincts. Besides, most voters don't do extensive research about names on the ballot. In small towns, we generally know the candidate on a one-on-one basis and our votes are seldom swayed by outside influence.
On a related issue, how many of us really pay attention to what's going on around us? To what's influencing our existence?
A retired friend recently related an experience he'd had. The main drag in our burg is about to be torn up to replace hundred-year-old clay sewer and water lines. Crews will update and bury much of the electric and other currently above-ground utility hardware. The "business" center of our little town will be a mess for about a year. The local newspaper has run many stories of what's about to happen.
My friend was in a small store and asked the owner if she had made plans to keep her business running during the disruption.
Her response was surprising. She was seemingly unaware of what was going to happen and what effect all the disruption would have on her business. She'd made no plans to open a rear entrance to the store and didn't seem to grasp how construction would affect parking. Or, that the mess would last a year or more.
Our local newspaper certainly has been on top of the construction info. There's been nearly a year's worth of stories about the coming "big dig." But, to at least this one business owner, not a thought of how she'd be affected.
We live in what's been called an "information age." That information surrounds us daily. It often overwhelms us - causes confusion. It can even redirect our attention from other important things we need to do, making it hard to stay up-to-date.
But, when you own a downtown business, lack of thought about what's to come to your front door for nearly a year isn't pardonable. It borders on stupidity. Especially when your local news media has been so proactive. For so long.