Editorial | Driving over the edge of politics | Dennis Box

I can certainly tell the political season has entered the full bore mental twilight zone.

Calls have been coming in at the office that in other situations I would consider the person partially paranoid, suspiciously psychotic or the more technical term — political-campaign nuts.

Campaigns do very strange things to people.

Folks who are otherwise fun loving and carefree suddenly are struck with the idea they should  run for office and then it happens — the political group psychosis sets in. Even for the some of the most well balanced guys I know, they start looking around corners and staring into shadows suspiciously.

There have been numerous books written about Richard Nixon and his alleged emotional wackiness. Most of the works attributed it to his mom or dad or some girl. I think it was political campaigns. I’ve seen it. They drive the best right over the edge.

I was covering a very controversial story in Maple Valley a couple of weeks ago and I was getting inundated with calls. Every side of the issue was certain I was colluding with the other side. I was supposedly talking in secret to people I’d never even knew were breathing entities on earth.

I finally stopped one of the callers and asked him if I could borrow some of the crazy pills they were all taking up there. I couldn’t fight them so I decided I better jump on the paranoid hay wagon with everyone else.

I truly think most candidates get into a campaign for mostly community service reasons, but, lurking on the edges are a few other drivers. People are very complex and infinitely interesting. No political cycle is ever exactly the same. There is always some twist or turn I didn’t expect which is why it is both fun and at times frustrating.

I see the stress and strain on the faces of candidates up close, so, I do try to give them some understanding. Nothing else brings out all the aspects of someone’s personality like an American political campaign, be it for city council, school board or president.

The roller coaster ride of door belling and debates give us an inside view of the candidates. If we listen carefully, and don’t impose our agenda, much can be learned about a candidate’s core beliefs.

I remember in the ‘60s Nixon was ranting about the press and he said something that has always stuck with me. He said the press corps should have at least one guy to write down what the candidate really said.

Of course, Nixon had a habit of blaming everyone but himself for his problems, but there is some truth in what he said for both the press and voters.

Candidates need to be able to get their thoughts out and many times for a newspaper that means asking the right question. If we don’t ask the right questions we are not going to get the right stuff in the answer.

Tricky business this political game.

Nov. 8 is getting very close. I think I just might try some of those crazy pills.