Afterward, Dan, his wife (can't remember her name), and I had a chance to chat a bit. He reminded me of the time a few weeks prior that I ran into him at the Nixon Library during a live broadcast of the John Phillips radio show (Ann Coulter was Phillip's guest for the evening). Dan was surprised to see me there. He and his wife have both been politically active over the past few years. Dan was the Orange County chairman of the Carly Fiorina campaign for the U.S. Senate. His wife had been on staff for a U.S. Congressman.
Dan told me that he used to think the major power center was in D.C. However, he later learned that local politics is where the real levers of power are located. He said that he could introduce me into the political scene if I wanted. I've always been intrigued by the idea, but have contented myself with blogging and/or discussions with friends. My brief flirtation with the idea ended after Dan told me how jaded he had become after getting heavily involved in local politics. "You think the Republicans actually believe what they say about lower taxes, freedom, liberty...", he said. "But they are really in it for the money, the prestige...which committee they can get on to gain status." I was disheartened by that. I truly believe in the concepts of limited government, lower taxes, liberty, and the like. I am not naive about politicians, but Dan made it sound as though there were no true believers. This notion disabused me of any desire to involve myself in local politics.
So...I guess it's back to blogging!
