The Lonely Campaign Trail

In this morning’s On the Square, Russell Saltzman recalls his time working on a friend’s political campaign, the pain of voter rejection—even when not a rejection of you personally—and concedes the possibility of a noble politician:

Did I learn anything? Yes, a few things. I had forgotten how thoroughly I once enjoyed good politics and the camaraderie of the campaign, the fierce sense of doing something good. I will remember a thousand faces and several friendships forged over those months. I even found a couple Wasinger supporters who remembered my name from my earlier days in Kansas politics. I learned, too, the battle for “likes” on Facebook campaign pages is not unimportant.

But mostly I remembered what I have always known. Some of the bravest people I know are people who put themselves out front for civic office.