Citizen Politician

We see the term in print and hear it on the air. But what exactly does the term “Citizen Politician” mean? To me it defines a person who is a citizen first and then a politician. It is someone with a family, a job and ties to a community who decides he would like to serve for a time in the political arena for the betterment of that community. To do so he takes a temporary leave from his position, knowing he will serve for a limited time and then return to his regular duties when his term is over.

How does this square with the term “Career Politician”? It doesn’t. In fact, Career Politicians are exactly what our founding fathers hoped to prevent when they penned the Constitution. They realized then, as we do today; some people in government want nothing more than to govern other people for their entire life and it would be bad if we allowed it happen. I am not saying Career Politicians are bad people. I don’t believe they are. But allowing Career Politicians is a bad precedent and endangers our political system.

The Citizen Politician is best able to represent the peole since he has experienced life and the struggles it presents. How can someone who has never had their child in public school know the trials and tribulations of the public education system? How can someone who has never worried about being laid off understand challenges of finding a job in a changing economy? Career Politicians on both sides of the aisle believe we will do what they want because we have an undying loyalty to America and our way of life. The better question is, do they share that loyalty? If not, then enough is enough. We need people that have experienced down sizing and plant closings and who found a way safely to the other side of the challenge writing legislation on trade, not trade lawyers with all their legal jargon. We need people who successfully struggled to find a solution to their personal healthcare challenge to find solutions to our national healthcare dilemma. We need people who found a way to pay bills and save for retirement in the midst of economic challenges to fix our tax system and the social insecurity system we currently have. How can Jim Cooper, a multi-millionaire, represent the working men and women of Tennessee’s 5th district if he has never walked a day in their shoes? It’s frightening to realize America has become a nation of hard working folks represented by those with no earthly idea what challenges we face month to month. They show up for the parades or the breakfasts and shake a few hands and kiss a few babies. They occasionally rush a passport application through or give flags to a few residents of the district. But what have they done for us? How have they made our lives better? How have the represented us? How have they served us?

Career Politicians answer to those that encouraged them to run, not those that elected them to office. Citizen Politicians answer to the community that sent them out, not the community that welcomed them in.

My name is Gerard Donovan and I aspire to be a Citizen Politician. I have never run for any office of any sort prior to now. I believe Career Politicians jeopardize the future of our nation and want to stop them before we pass the point of no return. I am not the sort of candidate typically chosen by political insiders, I don’t have millions of dollars to buy an election (someone actually told me if I didn’t have millions of dollars of my own money I didn’t have a chance). What I do have is heart! What I do have is drive! Most importantly, I have a practical, common sense understanding of what you go through day to day just to survive. And I have the ability to break down complicated situations into manageable bites to help me bring simple, practical solutions to the table for the problems that threaten you the most.

My fellow Tennesseans, I need your help. America needs your help. Help put the ideal of Citizen Politicians back into the mix. Plug in and get engaged in your community. Perhaps become a Citizen Politician yourself. We may not win this first election, or the second or even the third, but eventually Citizen Politicians across the nation will get elected and begin putting our country back on track. Please join me in sending a message to Career Politicians and the Special Interest Groups that support them. They had their chance and failed. Americans will take back what belonged to us all along! We’ll take back our parties! We’ll take back our government!

Thank you for your time and thank you for your support. God Bless.

Gerard Donovan
Candidate for Congress
Tennessee 5th District
www.donovanforcongress.com

Politics and America

The time is now, the need is immediate, the price is sacrifice and the payback is our future. American Politics and its political professionals are killing America and special interests are stealing American government from American citizens.

What I mean is, the American Dream is in jeopardy and special interests are making public service in American politics unattainable for the majority of Americans. Our country is being bought, for the most part, by lobbyists representing the special interests of foreign and American corporations. As such, the cost to enter a state or federal political race is out of reach for most Americans. The result is mediocre representation by political professionals who act as if they are the only ones who know what is best for us. Furthermore, these mediocre political professionals behave as if they are entitled to decide because of the size of their bank account and as if no one else is entitled, or even qualified, to occupy a leadership role in America. As an example, look at the amount of money that has been spent just on the Presidential race. Think about where that money came from. Aren’t you a little bit disgusted with the decadent spending of political professionals and of our government being up for sale?

I just read in the Tennessean this morning that some Republicans understand the base is frustrated with the fact no one running for President is the perfect “Republican” candidate. But they dismiss this frustration saying that the Republican Party base, while a “dysfunctional family”, will nevertheless “come home and vote with the party”. What they don’t understand is that many Republicans are not coming “home” because they don’t know where home is. For them, it’s as if the family moved and left no forwarding address. These people will stay home as opposed to voting just for the sake of voting. Furthermore, it’s not the base that’s dysfunctional – it’s the leadership. Concerning the future of the GOP, there is a significant lack of vision, direction and focus. The political establishment will tell you to vote the party line. But when your party line has moved and you don’t know where it is, it makes it hard.

There seems to be a lack of understanding today, in both parties, of what Americans want for America. It has been replaced by what “special interests” and foreign investment bankers want from America. To fix the problem, we have to take back our country and our government from the special interests which don’t represent the best interests of America. The only way we can do that is for Citizen Politicians to take the plunge and commit to taking America back one seat at a time. I believe our founding fathers envisioned citizen representation when they penned the phrase, “We the People…” They did not intend for career politicians to make a living at the expense of their constituents. Over the years, our political leaders have adulterated that concept of government just as they have adulterated the concept of political service. Any more, the only ones being served are the politicians themselves and the special interest groups which support them.

Please understand, this is not “sour grapes”. This is my evaluation of our current political structure. What we need are citizens to stand up and say, “Let me serve and let me vote! Together we can take back America for future generations! Working together, we can leave a legacy of freedom, compassion and prosperity for our children and our children’s children, but only if we come together.” Please join me as I seek to do exactly that. I look forward to serving you in Washington as a true Citizen Politician.

Gerard Donovan