By Quincy Howard, Dominican Candidate
October 16, 2014
I joined the Nuns on the Bus group this evening to support
an effort that is near to my heart. These women of faith provide hope to people
on many levels, and it's desperately needed now in the political arena.
I fear that—continuing the trajectory of money's influence
on politics—the window of opportunity for voters to have a real impact on
decision-makers is narrowing. Now, more than ever, there needs to be a
groundswell of civic participation if we're ever going to regain control of our
governance, and the biggest obstacle to that engagement is a massive sense of
hopelessness and despondency.
During various points in my life I've been a political realist,
a political pessimist, and a downright cynic, but I've always been a voter. I
could personally relate to the folks sitting at my discussion table—all five
expressed frustration and disillusionment with the political system in the U.S.
today. There were difficult questions asked with no easy answers—how DO you
guarantee that a politician will do what he/she says once in office?! —and
there was a general sense of resignation as each person expressed their
concerns about our nation.
But when we dug a little deeper and began discussing ideals
and potentials the tone began to change.
One man in my small
group had been very reticent about sharing any opinion because he could not
legally vote. His sense of powerlessness seemed utterly normal to him—he
couldn't imagine having any say in what happens in the country where he's lived
for decades. Then, when I asked him if he knew others who could vote, he began
talking at length about his 20-year-old son who is studying politics, economics
and philosophy at school because he wants to "see changes". I asked
him if he supported that and his response was a giant, proud grin.
Another man wasn't shy about sharing his opinions, but he
was clearly exasperated with politicians and couldn't move beyond his negative
perceptions of the political process (many of which were true). After the other
guy talked about his son, this man started talking about how he lived with his
wife and his three teenage daughters. We laughed when I joked, "You poor
thing!"
He then totally surprised me by saying that the political
system would work better if politicians were women. Whoa! He also seemed
surprised when I speculated, "So you DO think the system can work
better?"
At the end of our time, nobody left the table with answers
or solutions, but some silver linings and some strands of hope had taken shape.
Just by having a candid discussion, the collective spirit of our group had been
lifted and I have no doubt that three more people will be voting this election.
