Fallon vs. The American Idol Factor

By Mark Nolte

When
the topic of the gubernatorial race comes up in conversations at coffee
shops, salons, fence posts and county Democratic committee meetings
across the state a common phrase is invariably uttered in a connotation
similar to this:  “Personally, I really like Ed Fallon, BUT….”   This is where it gets tricky, because the sentence usually ends with something like, “I just don’t think he’s electable.”  Or  “He’s too idealistic to beat Nussle in the general.” 

Let's start with the latter of the two comments.  While
you were sleeping, someone came in and convinced you that our
government should be passive, mediocre, pandering and uncommittal.  It's time to wake up.  Our job as voters is to identify with our support and votes the individual who has the best ideals.  We are to expect from our government innovation, leadership and the fortitude to affect positive change.   Ideals and ideas, especially those presented by Rep. Fallon, are exactly what we should be looking for, not fearing.  His thoughts on improving the state resonate with real people regardless of their party affiliation.  We should seek candidates like Ed rather than shudder at novel thought as we do. 

Now we move to the heart of the first issue.  “Electability.”  Lets face it.  When someone says something like “Ed is not electable,” they are really saying:  “I tend to vote for the person who looks most like the part, you know, like they could be a newscaster.  I want the suit, the hair, the height.  Kind of that Edwards / Clinton type charm with that Obama-esque presence.  Thus,
I can’t publicly support Ed because he is tall and thin, his hair is as
absent as a Democratic majority and he doesn’t wear expensive shoes.  So
while I really don’t think Culver or Blouin’s ideas are anything to
write home about… I’ll probably support them because they look better
on TV.”   

If
we as voters want a better future, we need to stop judging based on the
American Idol factor, where looks get the best of talent.  If we want political strategists to message to the lowest common denominator, we need only continue acting the part.  Or,
we can be educated on the issues, open to ideas and ready to support an
individual who offers us something different and better, regardless of
what she or he looks like. 

I’m not trying to sway anyone to support Ed Fallon if his vision does not mesh with yours.  If
you have found yourself uttering a statement like the one above,
however, I encourage you to take a moment to honestly assess the
reality of the message. 

Like every Democrat, I will support the primary winner.  I just hope that person meets our ideals rather than merely an image.