It’s election season, well almost, so everyone wants to know…where does their candidate stand on hot button topics like abortion, education, policing, or the economy, etc. It’s become normal for candidates to share 100-point plans or what they’ll do in their first 100 days…but this is the wrong approach for two reasons.

First, if we have a divided political environment (which we do), and you’re not concerned with bringing the parties together, then giving the other political party your game plan in advance gives them more time to bring together a coalition of opposition to ensure your ideas have little chance of going anywhere.

Second, using the same assumption as above, except this time you are concerned with bringing the parties together, then telling the other party what you’re going to do when you’re elected, with no say or input from them, ensures little hope that you’ll have any bipartisan support. You’re saying their opinion doesn’t matter.

This is where a well-ran government is similar to a well-ran marriage. In a marriage we must care about how the other side feels. We must listen. We must admit fault (even at times when it feels as though the fault lies on the other side). So, imagine for a moment, that your spouse, significant other, companion, consort, mate, soul mate or whatever other social media phrase is being used, comes home and tells you what you are going to do, when you’re going to do it, and more importantly how you’re going to do it. How would you react? Would you feel like this was a joint decision? Would you feel as though you had worked together?

Furthermore, statements like “in my first 100 days we will conduct a forensic audit of (fill in the blank),” increase the distaste each party has for one another. Why? Quite simply, while this electrifies “the base,” what does it say to those currently in office? Let me ask this differently, if your better half says they will be taking over the finances and over the next week will thoroughly go through the bank accounts to verify where every dollar was used…how would you react? Would you feel attacked? When a candidate slings the statement that they’ll conduct an “audit,” they’re attacking. They’re calling those in office liars, cheats, and thieves… and we wonder why we’re divided.

Both of these actions don’t work in a marriage, and they don’t work in politics.

So, where do I stand you ask?

It’s simple.

Here’s my stance:

I’d like to help lower the number of abortions.

I’d like to help lower taxes, because when people have more, they tend to spend more, and this moves the economy in the right direction.

I believe Michigan can lead the nation in educational achievements and that we can drastically improve our economy so that we have fewer in poverty and so that we are once again a destination state.

How do we get there?

By working together.

Respectively,

Michael Jay Markey, Jr.