Just Like Me?

I was reading the news and someone had this to say about Michelle Obama "She's a mom, a lot of women voters see that she faces the same things that we face."

My first reaction was quite literally as though I had been hit in the face with a rubber band.

• She goes on vacation and has half a mile of beach cleared exclusively for her.
• Her kids go to private schools.
• Someone else does her shopping.
• Laundry? Riiiiiight.
• Security watches her every move.
• Personal driver.
• Private plane, with first class luxury.
• Husband a millionaire.
• Her own six figure income.
• Throngs of people scream her name when she speaks at events.

I don't think I have ever faced those particular problems, but I think I could try.

All too often I am puzzled by people who think politicians* have the same problems and concerns as We The People. The attributes that I listed for the First Lady are very similar to those of other national political figures. They don’t know what it is like to worry about the next paycheck covering the bills. They don’t put out hundreds of resumes without a single returned phone call. They don’t know what it is like to have to scrape money together to fix the car.

When you vote next month, ask yourself this question: “Does the person I am voting for have the slightest clue what my concerns, problems, and views are?”

Too often it seems that the greatest concerns politicians face is falling out of their ivory tower. Maybe we should help them out…

With A Push!

*I would define anyone who is a publicly elected figure, or spouse that does campaign work, a politician.