All politics is local.” (Byron Price, 1932)

Every four years Americans engage in a time-honored tradition, as old as the republic: election season. For four to six months we celebrate a heritage that 250 years ago set us apart from the rest of the world. Part carnival, part social science, half illusion and too often more than half delusion, we set about selecting our representatives to our republican form of government.

Why illusion? Because everyone hates politicians, except for their candidate. And delusion? Because we expect our candidates to actually accomplish their promises, at least half of them. And, when they don’t, we realize they didn’t really mean it, they just said what we wanted to hear or, equally as often, they were blocked from doing those things by the other guy we didn’t vote for. If you noticed that my math above didn’t add up, that’s because for the life of me I am unable to add up the statistics that politicians spoon feed me two to five times a decade.

Politics has become, or maybe it always was, a “strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles; the conduct of public affairs for private gain.” (Ambrose Bierce) We’ve come a long way since politicians bought votes with whiskey, tarred and feathered their opponents, or bribed the county clerk with perks the other guy didn’t have the money or the lack of morals to offer. But much remains to be done, and yet our national and federal politics seems to worsen with every election cycle. We can barely bring ourselves to listen to the lies and intentional misrepresentations uttered out of Washington. We know it’s all wrong, but we tell ourselves “What can I do, I’m one little voice in a sea of special interests with a lot more power and money than I have?” As our ancestors did, we submit to being governed, not as they did because they had temporarily failed to promote their agenda, but because we feel we have no other option.

But that is national politics, and here in Wyoming it is a much different situaation. Here in the Cowboy State we are blessed with a small population, and are actually able to know our local politicians as friends and neighbors. I always just pick up the phone and call them, and they answer, not some 20-year-old drone with a newly minted poly-sci degree. We see and hear from them regularly, we bump into them at the store, our children go to the same schools and play sports together, we watch parades together, we sing Christmas carols together, we’re at the funerals of loved ones and we mourn together.

Our candidates really do care about our community because it is their community, too, and all sides want it to prosper equally. When they win, basically unpaid and unhallowed, they go about their part time job in Cheyenne with determination and alacrity. If they lose, we don’t see them leave in a snit for the coasts or a gig with TED talks or national TV. They’re still here, awaiting another crack at the podium or going back to their day job. Egos can get in the way, and they don’t please everyone, but by and large these are true selfless patriots who are working tor us. God bless their patriotism and hard work.

And so it was with a heavy heart I saw, having just attended a candidate forum locally in which a stumper said they wanted the contest with their opponent to be about their platform and what they wish to accomplish, not to make it about what was wrong with their competitor, that multiple flyers were circulating around town by that very aspirant accusing their opposition of various misdemeanors against the body politic. I can’t say they were lies or intentional misrepresentations — you the voter will decide that. I was shocked, because I know that local politician very well, and to me it was impossible that those allegations could be true. More upsetting was the disclaimer in small print:

“Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.” “Paid for by _” began the waiver of responsibility, accompanied by the flashy logo of a Washington, D.C.-based Political Action Committee. Big Money Politics had arrived in our local elections.

We don’t want or need this hypocrisy in our local elections. This is the seed of fractious discontent that has already overcome D.C. and is bound to grow worse in Cheyenne. We don’t want outside interference in our local, county and state elections to become “normal.” Reject candidates who allow this, regardless of the letter after their name.

If your candidate is doing it, call or write and tell them to stop, tell them to publicly disavow these tactics, and if they don’t, vote for the other guy. You can just call them on the phone. Tell them this is wrong, and you won’t tolerate it. Donations? Well, you should hold the pursestrings; don’t let Washington.

Remember, all politics is local. Keep it that way.

(William Flittie is a Cody resident.)