What will it take to get people to vote?
If we had the answer to this question, the country would be much better off than it is right now. Don’t get me wrong. This is a wonderful country. But it’s been better. And I hope and trust that we can make it better again. The insidious problem with apathy is that it feeds on itself. The more apathetic you get, the more certain you become that nothing will ever change. The lamer the politicians get, the worse they represent the people, the more convinced we all become that it’s just no use to try to beat them. The people can’t decide whether to kill ourselves or get a haircut. We throw up our hands and say, “It’s always been this way.” Well, yes and no. It wasn’t this way when the great leaders in our country’s history put the will of the people above party, power, and greed. Sadly, there are few great leaders left to inspire us. The current crop of candidates for president demonstrates what the bi-polar political process has achieved. You might like some of them, but it’s fair to say that none of them really inspire us the way a JFK or Bobby Kennedy, or Ronnie Reagan, or Ann Richards did. What if we could have a President Mark Twain or a President Will Rogers? Someone who could find that beautiful place that is above politics and genuinely reflects the basic will of the people? Thanks to people like Karl Rove and many like him, politics has gotten a bad name and it’s one that it richly deserves.
What do you think Ann Richards and Molly Ivins are doing in heaven right now?
Ann and Molly are praying the Texas Democrats stop whinin' and start winnin'!You’ve had some interesting occupations: mystery writer, aspiring governor, country singer to name a few. Which of those was your favorite and why?
I enjoyed being a writer of fiction because it provides a perfect forum for telling the truth. Likewise, music offers a platform for free expression unequaled almost anywhere. As Bob Dylan said, “Art should not reflect culture; art should subvert culture.” When you’re running for higher office it’s not quite so easy to tell the truth all the time. But you have to try. To survive and prevail in politics as a truth-teller and a dealer in hope, is the greatest challenge of them all.
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