The Courage to Run

Thanks to all who were so helpful in my brother Harry's campaign for judge. He didn't win this one. And this is the first race out of his nine political campaigns that he ever lost. It seemed to me, after he won his first at age 27 against a long-established incumbent and two other fearsome and well-funded opponents, that he would always win.

Well, that's almost never true.

This new outcome is disappointing to me. And he's being a champ about it. The candidate who appears to have won -- and it's not yet settled -- is a good person of similar philosophies; and that's some comfort. (It's certainly not true in a lot of the contests decided yesterday.)

As is usually true, with more than two candidates in a number of races, more people lost than won.

This fact brings to mind again a thought I've often had: what courage it takes for people to run for public office.

It's so public.

It's like being a writer and having every rejection in the news -- in detail.

I know that some politicians are as slippery as the stereotype portrays. But many aren't. Some, like brother Harry, are scrupulously decent people.

And people in politics don't get the proper credit for the guts it takes to be so public.

In every area of life, and especially in public life, it takes a lot of courage to run the race.

Thanks to all who have the boldness to run.




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