Hi all! Please help me welcome Paula Benson to Killer Hobbies today. Politics as a hobby? Tell us more, Paula!
Man is by nature a
political animal. -- Aristotle
Although not usually thought of as a hobby, politics does
capture people’s attention and fuel their imaginations. Political figures and
their families become media sensations and fashion icons. Comedians’ routines
and political cartoons parody politicians’ actions. Political polls are like
sports statistics. Doris Kerns Goodwin, noted presidential historian, is
universally praised for her work. Her website showcases a Christian Science
Monitor quote indicating her popularity: “At 70, let's hope (Ms. Goodwin) has at least a couple more biographies
in mind.”
Politics is perhaps the only profession for
which no preparation is thought necessary. -- Robert Louis Stevenson
What is it about politics that seems to fascinate people? Growing
up, I thought of politics as something adults watched on TV. It had too much
rhetoric and too little action to keep my youthful attention. Politicians and
political commentators expressed their opinions, which often resulted in
arguments without resolution.
Politics is war
without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed. -- Mao Tse-Tung
Then, in my first full time job, I shared an office with a
co-worker who had a passion for state and national politics. He kept up with
the issues and personalities, was an astute observer, listened carefully to
what everyone had to say, and believed very strongly in a phase associated with
the 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Thomas Phillip
“Tip” O’Neill, Jr., (D. Mass.) that “all politics is local.”
In other words, constituents focus on the matters that
affect them personally and their representatives need to be tuned in to what
voters care about in order to serve them most effectively and remain in office.
My co-worker taught me that politics are not just about debate or conflict, but
evolve from matters that affect quality of life and deeply felt emotions.
Politics is supposed
to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very
close resemblance to the first. -- Ronald Reagan
Davis Baldacci, Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, Brad Meltzer, and
Brad Thor have made careers writing fictional views of the political process. Any
time power is at stake, people in charge may be tempted. How they react to that
temptation and how others investigate possible corruption can lead to dramatic
consequences and page-turning suspense.
Crime does not pay . .
. as well as politics. -- Alfred E. Newman
My short story in FISH OR CUT BAIT: A GUPPY ANTHOLOGY
published by Wildside Press in April 2015 features Carolyn
Louise Mitchell, called Caro, a newly elected independent State Senator. As Caro
witnesses a filibuster about whether or not to get rid of a public employee by legislatively
eliminating his job, she begins to wonder if it’s only a man’s career at stake,
or if something criminal may be happening behind the scenes. The story’s title,
“The Train’s on the Tracks,” comes from a saying that if legislation is moving forward
that legislators need to decide whether to get a ticket to ride or stay off the
track (and avoid getting run over).
I’ve discovered that my first impression of politic
discussions was wrong. They offer plenty of ideas that allow writers to explore
human conflict and possible mayhem.
Do you follow politics, as a profession or avocation? Do you
enjoy political biographies or novels?
