From tea parties to the ballot box

This past Sunday I read an article in this newspaper that was as disturbing to me as anything I’ve read in long time. It had nothing to do with dead celebrities, election fraud in Iran, or global warming. Instead, it was a seemingly innocuous little piece about a congressman who represents a certain district here in Middle Georgia who is facing reelection in just over a year and as yet has no apparent opposition in that contest.

Now that may not seem like a big deal to you, but to a person like me who feels strongly that our system of government only works when the people who are governed by it give a rat’s behind about who represents them, it was very hard pill to swallow.

Before I go any further, let me say this. I think Jim Marshall is a good guy and, in general, he has represented Middle Georgia about as well as any career politician could be expected to. I understand the practical reasons why none of the leading lights in the state Republican Party have jumped at the chance to oppose him, but that knowledge does nothing to cool my outrage that we could have a race for a national office in my own home district where no one may bother to oppose the incumbent.

Some of the views expressed in this piece made me want to tear my hair out. Numerous potential Republican opponents are refusing to throw their hats in the ring because of the long odds against winning and because their personal prospects are more promising if they run for state or local positions. And local conservative firebrand Erick Erickson said that some state GOP officials are hoping that Marshall does indeed go unopposed because a strong turnout for him might unduly influence the governor’s race in favor of the Democrats.

Take a minute to digest that. The GOP brain trust in this state are not simply disinterested in this race, they are actively opposed to anyone of substance from their party running against Marshall because of the effect it might have on the governor’s race. Here we see the genius of the two-party system at work. Do you feel well-represented?

Still, an optimistic soul might see the situation as an opportunity rather than a problem. So the Republican machine has no interest in this race. Fine. That could provide an opportunity for some candidate who is outside of the political mainstream to enter the race and become a viable force.

I want to speak directly now to the citizens who participated in the “tea party” rallies on tax day this year. You are fed up. You are sick and tired of government-as-usual. You have had it up to here with deficit spending, intrusive government, and the lack of respect for our constitution displayed by nearly all of our representatives in Washington. That was the message you were trying to send with these rallies, if I’m not mistaken.

Well, here is an opportunity to do more than wave signs and sing songs. Surely there is someone in your ranks who can speak in complete sentences and has an ounce of personal charisma. I think it’s time for that person to step up and run for office. This is a perfect opportunity for an outsider, a candidate that represents a fresh alternative to business-as-usual in Washington to emerge and give 8th district voters a real choice next fall.

I once wrote that I believed the tea party rallies were political theater, a chance for anti-Obama Republicans to release their frustrations over losing power in Washington. I hope I was wrong, and that some true believer will emerge from that movement and give those of us who are fed up with our bloated federal government a reason to go to the polls next year. The clock is ticking however, and the time to act is right now.