Page 56 - Cityview Jan-Feb 2017

Name that PoliticianBY GEORGE KORDA AFEW YEARS AGO, WHEN(now Gov.) Bill Haslam wasKnoxville mayor, and Mike Ragsdale was Knox County mayor,my wife and I were on a plane when Ragsdale boarded and sat several rows in front of us.A woman in the aisle passing us said to her husband, “Hey, do you know who that is sitting up there?” referring to Ragsdale.“No, who?”“That’s Bill Haslam.”In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, which dragged on for years and is nally, mercifully, over, here’s an interesting exercise you might tryon a day when you’re sitting around wondering, as probably happens all the time, about the political awareness of your fellow Tennesseans.Ask friends these questions, or something similar:1. Who’s your state senator, state representative, county commissioner, or city council member?2. Who’s the county mayor? City mayor? 3. What are the three branches of government?4. How many members are there in the state House of Representatives? Senate? 5. What’s the governor’s name?There are some people reading this who are saying “I’m not asking those questions of anyone because I can’t answer most of them myself.”If so, you’re not alone. Not by along shot. It may seem somewhat contradictory for a column that focuses on local and Tennessee politics to o er that observation. No, it’s not.There are always political issuesand problems that deserve and attract attention. However, if knowledge equals power, where political awarenessis concerned there’s a short-circuit occurring on the voter grid. A lack of political awareness goes hand-in-hand with the inevitable handwringing over lower voter turnouts. Why don’t people vote, it’s asked? What do we have to do to encourage people to vote?Nothing. There’s no reason to run around in circles trying to gure out how to make it easier to vote. It’snot di cult. More challenging is the decision voters must make of who to support, understanding the o ce for which a candidate is running, and the issues in an election.If someone doesn’t care to know who are the elected o cials setting theirtax rates; making decisions for their children’s educations; passing laws that restrict, control, or a ect their daily lives, and more, how is anyone going to motivate that person to vote?Furthermore, why encourage unaware people to vote? It’s the electoral equivalent of urging someone to play darts while blindfolded.One of the most telling examplesof voter “Who cares?” remains Cityof Knoxville elections between 1987 and 2013. The 1987 mayor’s race drew about 34,000 voters. Only about 21,000 voters turned out for the 2011 mayor’s election. The 2013 o -year election saw tumbleweeds blowing through polling places as just 4,400 people cast ballots out of 105,000 registered city voters.Nevertheless, it’s pointless to try to shame or embarrass a person into becoming a knowledgeable citizen. Aperson votes in his or her self-interest. When someone says they’re casting their vote in the best interest of the city, county, or country, they really came to that decision on a personal basis, for personal reasons, desiring an outcome they personally prefer.When people associate voting with self-interest, turnouts improve. That doesn’t mean everyone will like the outcome, or that taxpayers can a ord politicians’ promises. An example was Sen. Bernie Sanders challenge to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primaries. Sanders gave Clinton ts. There was a reason.Sanders appealed to younger voters by promising them, for example, “free” college and a government universal health care program that would enable everyone to live, according to his website, “happier, healthier, and more ful lling lives.” Did a good many people vote for Sanders in what they saw as their self-interest? Sure. But that didn’t mean a country nearing $20 trillion in national debt could a ord the promises.With respect to local politics and local politicians, it has never been easier to know who they are, and what they’re doing, via the news media and the internet.But local elections are likely to continue to take a turnout beating. It’s not that people are apathetic; rather, it’s that apart from issues that clearly a ect their emotions or money, they don’t know, and they don’t care.George Korda is a longtime news media political analyst and the president of Korda Communications, a public relations and communications consulting rm based in Knoxville.Illustration by R. Daniel ProctortHInKLOCAL POLITICS54 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2017