Happy Cows and Disgruntled Voters

We were absolutely bombarded with political announcements during the last days leading up to our recent statewide elections. From email to snail mail to voice mail, it was impossible to turn around without hearing another campaign ad, another attack, another rebuttal. It makes me queasy thinking how much that experience is going to be magnified by the Presidential election. Buckle up, folks.

It’s true, my beloved Louisiana gets a lot of attention for our colorful politics, but I feel quite sure that wherever you are, you can relate to the type of environment I’m describing. I suppose the circus could be entertaining if the consequences for Joe Public weren’t so dire.

I heard about one congressman whose return to his home district to ask for votes happened to be the only time his constituents had seen hide or hair of him since he was sent to Congress in the previous election. From what I understand, his excuses for his absence were as unbelievable as his explanations on his dubious voting record. He would have had a hard time shopping either story even if he had managed to deliver on any of the promises he’d campaigned on the first time around, which he didn’t.

One of his campaign stops was particularly hard. His audience was a group of irate farmers. It didn’t take long for the politician to see that they weren’t buying anything he was selling. In desperation, the congressman tried one final explanation, “Guys, if anyone knows the facts of life and how things work, it’s y’all. You can’t put a bull in the pasture one evening and expect a herd of newborn calves by morning.”

There was a brief pause before this guy on the back row spoke up and expressed what everyone there was thinking. “You’re right there,” the man said, “but we would expect to see a lot more happy cows.”

~Shellie