David G. Wallace

What Candidates Must Do to Win Elections

As the recent elections slowly fade into the past, political pundits and voting citizens will continue to talk about how the voters were looking for a change. After all, the Republican Party lost a majority in both the House and Senate. But what change do the voters truly want?

Voters and supporters want to hear that their elected officials will go to Washington to address the country’s issues, to make the tough choices, and to ensure that the American people’s interests are served. In short, they want government officials to govern. It sounds like common sense, but from my vantage point, it’s exactly what is missing.

Generally speaking, Americans are content with the way things are going, and they want to keep it that way. That’s why voter turnout is so low, especially for apathetic midterm elections. People who are happy generally don’t have a good reason to go to the polls. People who are angry or want a change are the ones who get out and vote. It is this minority of registered voters who determine the make-up of Congress and our state and local governments.

To win in elections, candidates must address voters’ core concerns: national security, economic security, and security for their homes and families. And, they have to refrain from the temptation to engage in the politics of personal destruction. Americans generally do not care about a person’s personal leanings as long as those issues are private and do not impact others. The latter only become national election issues when the parties and candidates fail to address the real items on America’s agenda.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with thousands of voters and supporters in my district, and the overwhelming message was that these voters wanted their elected officials to demonstrate leadership on the tough issues. They do not want their elected officials to put political maneuvering and partisanship above the business of the country. They want candidates to talk about … and actually follow through … with governing.

One example is the juxtaposition of events on the day that we learned about Rep. Mark Foley’s (R-FL) inexcusable actions. On that day, in a one-room Amish schoolhouse, a sexual predator took ten young girls hostage and tied them up, with the intent to molest and kill them. As the day unfolded, the Foley political story dominated the coverage, while in Pennsylvania six girls were murdered, and four wounded.

In response to this and other attacks in our nation’s schools, President Bush called a national summit to address school safety. That is leadership. As for the congressional campaigns, the DC scandal continues to dominate the media. Unfortunately, in this political climate, our children’s safety is taking a back seat to partisan politics.

Instead of addressing the pressing issue of school safety, the political airwaves are filled with personal attacks and scandal mongering. That approach is precisely what makes voters stay at home on Election Day.

Americans want their country to be a place where our children can live free of the threat of child predators and guns at school. They want their elected officials to lead the initiative that ensures the sanctity and innocence of childhood.

Candidates need to challenge the naysayers who assailed tax relief and argued it would decrease federal revenues. Obviously, the opposite has been true and this has been a perfect illustration of supply-side economics in action. In July, the Office of Management and Budget released its Mid-session Review, which reported that this year’s budget deficit is expected to be $127 billion less than projected just six months ago. We are now on track to balance the federal budget in the next five years.
Unfortunately, many of these important tax relief provisions are set to expire in the near future. While Congress has been successful in enacting extensions to some of these provisions, other tax relief policies are still being blocked. Candidates must fight this never ending battle to ensure this tax relief as the average voter wants to keep more of their take-home pay.

The American people are looking for new ideas and leadership, and that is what the candidates should be doing now: advancing new ideas, demonstrating leadership and a desire to govern, and shining the light on politically motivated arguments and positioning.

Candidates must answer the question of “how will I represent you in Washington,” instead of engaging in “tit-for-tat” political strategies.

We, in politics, often don’t give the American people enough credit. We relegate our message to sound bites and slogans. We fall into the trap of “gottcha” politics and forget that our job is to govern this great country through leadership, ideas and accountability.

No wonder the majority of American people do not bother voting. They are waiting for someone and something to vote for. As a country, we have serious and complex issues to address, and the voters of this great country want serious and thoughtful people to address them. These voters understand that partisanship only brings destruction, and does not benefit the American people. This is what voters mean when they say that they want a change.

This is the message that I have been hearing from the political front lines. For the candidates to maintain their hold on their current elected position, they must heed these voters, too.