One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was when I was going through my divorce. Most divorces are stressful, but they are particularly so when you have four children. One of the attorneys who had been listening to me vent at length about my Ex finally said, “You know, you don’t always have to take the bait.”
I have to admit this idea was a revelation to me. In life there are always people who have a special ability to push your buttons. The trick is to learn how not to react in anger when there is nothing you can do about the situation.
Of course this is a skill that is also essential in politics. Another way this is sometimes put is that you need to have a “thick skin.” At this point mine is as thick as a rhinoceros!
In politics you will always have people who disagree with your positions or just don’t like you for any number of reasons. In my case, I have more than the usual number of detractors after spending 18 years in the newspaper business.
I always considered “ticking people off” part of the job description, (in fact, I subtitled my book that). There is a rule of thumb in the newspaper business that you are not really doing your job unless you get at least a few irate subscription cancellations a year.
I usually figured that those people didn’t really stop reading the paper. They just wanted to make a point by canceling, but many probably started buying the paper on the newsstand. I even noticed that a number of them returned to the subscription rolls a year or two later after they calmed down.
In this race, a number of my friends have been kind enough to point out that I am not the most popular guy in town. I understand that, and realize that if this race is going to be a popularity contest, I’m in trouble.
On the other hand, I believe that most voters have the ability to put aside personal feelings and judge a candidate on a more practical basis: “Will the candidate’s policies and his ability to implement them be in my and the community’s best interest?”
On this score I at least have some hope that not everyone will take the bait.
Posted by corrinstrong 
