How about a political party for us Wyomingites?

BY SENECA FLOWERS

There is a Wyoming seat for the U.S. Senate up for grabs, and the carpetbaggers are gonna come out of the woodwork for this one. Perhaps one of the resident millionaires will snatch it. It’s certainly not anyone who will truly represent the readers of this column.

U.S. Senate seats are deemed precious because there are only two per state, and the term lasts six years. Imagine making bank for six years, guaranteed. 

So there will be a lot of national interest. So instead of these folks, I’ve got the imperfect candidate. Here’s why. 

Two-fifths of the Senate are millionaires, according to rollcall.com. So the odds of

Wyoming electing another millionaire to the Senate

seem likely. There is nothing wrong with being a millionaire; many of these people worked hard, others were born into luxury. But when the white collars rule over the blue collars, there are some blatant realities that get overlooked. 

Working-class members of government tend to vote for the worker whereas white-collar members side with the corporations, usually after money is exchanged (as pointed out in this Washington Post article, “Millionaires run out government. Here’s why it matters.”) Ask yourself: Do you prefer a blue-collar, Cowboy Ethics-minded person or do you want a privileged, white-collar person to make decisions on your behalf? 

Well, I have a proposal, and it is a doozy. Bear with me while I set up some rules.

1-- Suspend all your partisan brainwashing. It’s not about Trump or AOC or any other BS politician who the mainstream media and Russian memes are forcing down your throat. It’s about doing what is best for Wyoming. (Better yet, renounce your partisan allegiance for state allegiance).

2 -- Understand, I am not attacking anyone because they have money. It’s wonderful someone can use the system they are born into to get ahead in life. But do these people born into wealth represent and fight for the rest of us?

3 -- I want you to support a candidate you believe in, not the person I suggest. But critically think about a person and why he or she is better suited for the job than one who wants to bank a posh, six-year gig. Critically think beyond party lines.

In addition to the normal qualifications of intelligence, common sense and honesty, I propose look for the following:

State allegiance

Our candidate must stand up for Wyoming values. This means he or she needs to represent the individuals and talk with the actual constituents. We live in a republic in which we elect people to listen to our concerns and vote to our ideas, not their party or personal beliefs. 

So let’s find a candidate who will reject party affiliation. Better yet, let’s ask our opposing Democratic and Republican candidates to reject their parties in favor of Wyoming’s interests. Why not hold weekly town halls or Skype call-ins? 

Our candidate needs to state in a debate, “If it came down to Wyoming or the major political parties, I would say, ‘Screw off Republicans, screw off Democrats!’” and challenge their opponents to do the same to show allegiance to Wyoming.

Openly refuse national money 

(Or at the minimum be transparent and wear your sponsors like NASCAR patches)

Our candidate needs to refuse to be bought. Our candidate needs to refuse national PAC money and challenge all other candidates to do the same. 

If they choose to take money, why not share the wealth and use it for community projects or wear patches representing their donors on their sleeves? Most importantly, challenge others to do the same. Just be honest from the beginning. Let’s be the example for the rest of the states.

Community activism

This country is getting more fractured. The divisive nature of social media and cable news is splintering communities into rabid animals turning on each other. We need this to stop, and one of the best ways to repair this chaos is to promote local community activism. 

Our candidate must give his or her time and energy to their community and state. As a U.S. senator, our candidate needs to use Cowboy Ethics to inspire Washington by making a change at home first. When we help local communities, we aren’t focused on divisive identity politics. We have to focus on helping our neighbors, regardless of their beliefs or their race, creed, color, gender identity or sexual preference.

It’s about being a decent person before criticizing. In America, there shouldn’t be time for prejudices. The time for criticizing is over. Now is the time for acting and challenging people to help each other. Put your money, time or energy into building communities, not telling others what to do or how to live. Live and let live. Be the change.

The candidate

So who do I pick? Well, this article originated after I asked former Cheyenne City Council member and fellow blog writer Richard Johnson to run. Is he the best candidate? Probably not. But would he be the most honest candidate and vote for the state’s interests? Most likely. But, he said no. 

I also asked a veteran/pragmatic coworker. He also declined. 

Who do you know who is honest, loyal and willing to give up the two-party BS to represent the people of Wyoming? Do you really want to vote for another millionaire, a carpetbagger, sellout “lesser of two evils”? 

It’s going to be tough to get a person to say yes. The fact is, if someone would do a great job, they likely wouldn’t want it. It’s a job that is shameful to anyone with dignity. 

Let’s redefine what a senator is and put Congress back in the hands of the citizens. Let them serve our country instead of getting fat off of backroom deals.

And although I would prefer my candidate to win, it is most important that the candidate hold his or her opponents and major political parties in this state accountable. We probably won’t win, but with one election we can make them squirm in uncomfortable honesty.

This is our wake-up call. Nominate and vote for a real candidate. Let the Wyoming Party begin.

Seneca Flowers is a Cheyenne resident.