The President’s Perspective

Answers.com defines coattail effect as “The ability of the candidate heading a party ticket to help carry into office lesser candidates from the same party who appear on the same ballot.” I’m sure all good democrats are hoping that Barack Obama’s name at the top of the ballot will carry the rest of the Democratic candidates on to victory. But if we want to insure a Democratic victory we have to show enthusiasm for all of our candidates from top to bottom. And, when you consider the work that is done in the courtrooms, the county, the statehouse, state offices, and the U. S. Congress, there are no lesser candidates. No matter what position they hold on the ticket, elected officials affect our lives daily.
When I was a child, my grandfather advised me that the way to vote was to enter the voting booth and pull all the levers labeled “Democrat”. I’ve since learned that not all Democrats are perfect and I’ve learned that judges carry no party designation by their name on the ballot. So, while I generally try to ascribe to my grandfathers rule, I know to learn about our candidates before I vote, and to pay special attention to judges who always get placed at the bottom of the ballot.
Notice the concept is coattail effect, not coattail guarantee. If a Democratic victory were a guarantee then we could all sit down, shut up, clutch our purses tightly, and maintain our business as usual daily routines. But we know that in life and politics there are no guarantees. So our candidates locally, statewide, and nationwide are off and running as hard as they can toward Election Day. They can’ t do it alone so we Democrats must stand up, speak up, open up our wallets, open up our schedules, and open up our hearts and minds to the proposition that together we can work for a better tomorrow for all America.
Be well, work hard, and God bless.
Wanda Adams, President