2016 presidential truck stop buffet: Plenty of options with reheated ideas
Most of us don’t talk about it, but we’ve been there. It’s late at night, way past the time when we should be eating. Then you see it up ahead on the horizon glowing in the dark night, Zeke’s Truck Stop Buffet…open 24 hours.
The choices are endless: brown chicken goop, almost dehydrated fried rice and even tuna sandwiches precariously situated over ice that melted several hours ago. At the end of the line, you’re greeted with Jell-O cubes and imitation Nilla Wafers.
You’ve seen it all before. In fact, you knew what you were getting into the moment you pulled over. But hey, you were hungry and this was your option. The bad news is that most of said options smell like sweaty feet.
Presidential politics aren’t much different than a truck-stop buffet. The campaigns already feel familiar, tired and conspicuously similar to the buffet’s refried beans that have been reheated one too many times.
I get it. This time, Hilary Clinton is more inevitable than the last time she was inevitable. At the same time, even my liberal friends are pining for some different choices that share their perspectives.
On the Republican side, we can see the circular firing squad forming. Most candidates know what they don’t like (i.e., things Obama does), but they also don’t have a specific plan to lead. The strategy has been the same for the last few cycles: Act more conservative than you really are and then run to a magic middle to have a chance in the general election.
Here’s a new idea for all the candidates: Try being the person you really are rather than who you think voters want you to be. Voters are craving authentic leadership. We don’t want someone to simply stir the warmers at the truck-stop buffet to make the options look more appealing; we want something different.
By this point, we know all the talking points. We expect Clinton to talk about her love of the middle class, the rich paying their fair share (more) and more government oversight of the marketplace. Republicans will likely talk about liberty, opportunity and all of the above energy.
Just like those imitation Nilla wafers, all of us know we’re not getting a taste of the real candidates.
So whether it’s Clinton, Cruz, Paul, Rubio or Warren, please give us a reason to keep driving past the presidential truck stop buffet. For the right leader, we just might be willing to pass the truck stop and keep on driving through the night into a new morning for America.
