Swordsmyth
11-28-2019, 03:22 AM
Back in [REDACTED], I had been moved to righteous anger to run for political office, Congress, in my [REDACTED] district which was being weakly held by a non-progressive Democrat. There were a number of Republican contenders, but the local party had picked one of their donors, an unfortunate blockhead with inherited money. I took exception to this and pulled a Trump-to-Jeb! on the dude at every public engagement, which only earned the ire of the local party for my uppitiness and Ron Pauline views on government.
At a fundraiser dinner, I had a small coterie and the other candidates had theirs, larger and smaller, and I was surprised when a delegation of state Republicans - well known and connected - came over and asked me to join them at their table. I obliged. They showered me with compliments - how they liked my style, how I was clearly the one with the brains and ability to win etc - and then asked what path I was taking, where did I want to go: executive branch, senate, state politics, or if Congress was my goal. I told them Congress was where I felt I could be most useful, and they pulled out a diagram that had my name on [a state organization] for a number of years, then county supervisor, then Congress. They told me that this was not only the path they envisioned, but the path they could guarantee. Their words. All I had to do was drop out and endorse the blockhead. But he'll lose, I argued, and explained exactly why. They nodded in agreement and said, we know. That's how we know you'll win here in [REDACTED].
They were offering me a seat in Congress if I played their game, changed my views, endorsed their loser, and then they would rig the system to ensure victory. Not MY victory, but THEIR victory with me as their puppet. I told them no, thank you, I was my own man and I'd rise and fall on that merit. They said the doors were always open and then went to the next table where a woman was also running for the same seat. They showed her a different diagram. Two years later she was the Republican nominee for US Senate.
God was looking out for me. But the point is that you are absolutely right - there are people who will buy your soul and they roam about like wolves preying on the ambitious, vain, or naive.
More at: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/11/mailvox-success-dealers.html
At a fundraiser dinner, I had a small coterie and the other candidates had theirs, larger and smaller, and I was surprised when a delegation of state Republicans - well known and connected - came over and asked me to join them at their table. I obliged. They showered me with compliments - how they liked my style, how I was clearly the one with the brains and ability to win etc - and then asked what path I was taking, where did I want to go: executive branch, senate, state politics, or if Congress was my goal. I told them Congress was where I felt I could be most useful, and they pulled out a diagram that had my name on [a state organization] for a number of years, then county supervisor, then Congress. They told me that this was not only the path they envisioned, but the path they could guarantee. Their words. All I had to do was drop out and endorse the blockhead. But he'll lose, I argued, and explained exactly why. They nodded in agreement and said, we know. That's how we know you'll win here in [REDACTED].
They were offering me a seat in Congress if I played their game, changed my views, endorsed their loser, and then they would rig the system to ensure victory. Not MY victory, but THEIR victory with me as their puppet. I told them no, thank you, I was my own man and I'd rise and fall on that merit. They said the doors were always open and then went to the next table where a woman was also running for the same seat. They showed her a different diagram. Two years later she was the Republican nominee for US Senate.
God was looking out for me. But the point is that you are absolutely right - there are people who will buy your soul and they roam about like wolves preying on the ambitious, vain, or naive.
More at: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/11/mailvox-success-dealers.html