Patrick Kennedy: Where's the human touch?

[LiberalArkie]

A must read article in the Arkansas Times by Young 1st time Democratic Candidate


http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/wheres-the-human-touch/Content?oid=1369639




Bruised and battered by his first political race, a congressional candidate laments the loss of personal connection.



If I had to describe what it's like running for office for the first time, I'd explain it this way: Wait for a sunny day and seek out the tallest, thickest, nastiest tree you can find. Once there, strip naked and climb to the very top, wrap a blindfold around your eyes and jump into the thicket below.

As you're slapped in the face with every limb; knocked around like a pinball from branch to branch, you have to find ways to maintain a belief in a political system wired for resistance; belief in a people conditioned for cynicism; and belief in yourself, as you are challenged almost ceaselessly to compromise your principles in some way.

Something changes when you take that first plunge. The lines of reality sharpen and then fade around the edges, and once you do reach bottom, you're left wondering how your wounds will heal. Will they scar with bitterness and frustration, or will they regenerate into a tougher, wiser layer of skin? Will you hesitate before the next climb to the top? And once there, how will your memories shape your path forward?

Snip

[HopeHoops]

1. Well this is sad. The OP immediately brought to mind "Chicken Run" - Mrs. Tweedy.

"It's the woman's touch."

[LiberalArkie]

2. My question is where was Snyder, Pryor and other retired Democratic Candidates?