Why Jeff Clemens never lost an election, and the things Clemens and others have to do you'll never appreciate. . .but really should reconsider

FYI, if you're a new visitor to my blog national politics isn't dealt with very much because I know what my readers are interested in. If they want to learn about national politics there are many sources available to fit taste and preferences. Sometimes I'll mention state politics but really only in how it affects my City, Lake Worth, and more broadly Palm Beach County.

Lake Worth is a non-partisan City for elections and you don't indicate if you're "(R)" or "(D)" or even "(I)". The Independents are those people we all know and love who have conviction and strong beliefs. They're always right square in the middle of the road at the ready to make hard decisions. The last two sentences you might want to read again. And again.

State Senator Jeff Clemens has to do the unthinkable if you're a Progressive Liberal Democrat like me. (Damn! I just lost readers!) He isn't the only one but I'm just using him as an example. The 'unthinkable' that Clemens has to do is go to Tallahassee and work with Republicans, many of them Conservative, and play nice. He has to smile a lot too. Because if he doesn't then cities like Lake Worth won't get the stuff we need. It's a simple as that. Did you know Clemens has never lost an election? It's true.

I couldn't do what Clemens has to do and neither could most people ergo why he's a state senator and you're not. It's already been proven that Governor Scott was elected because the Liberals, Democrats, and Progressives in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties didn't perform and the entire state of Florida has to pay the price. They talked a big game though. Big enough and convincing enough that even Charlie Crist believed it. And because of that lack of performance Crist lost. Now when Clemens goes to Tallahassee he's not clicking his heels and yelling, "Yippee".

As a side note, while everyone was making the easy choice for who to challenge Gov. Scott the Lake Worth headquarters for the Nan Rich campaign was my living room and part of my Florida room too. I believed then and still believe now Nan Rich could have beat Gov. Scott. But she wasn't given that chance.

So you've been reading this blog post and wondering, "Wes, what the hell is your point?" My point is simply this: If you love and care for Lake Worth sometimes you need to just trust people. And trust they love Lake Worth just as much as you do. And I know many people who go to Tallahassee to lobby for Lake Worth, and smile, and make nice, and play nice would much rather be anywhere else in the world but in Tallahassee, like Afghanistan for example.

But Tallahassee is where the money is and hard choices have to be made. So when somebody comes knocking on your door in Lake Worth and says that Pam Triolo, Scott Maxwell, and Andy Amoroso are spending too much time in Tallahassee say to yourself, "Thank God somebody is."

President Obama was faced with a similar dilemma. He wanted to accomplish things and he knew in order to accomplish those objectives he had to work with people he didn't want to. That's why he was re-elected. The sad reality is for Lake Worth to succeed we need Gov. Scott and the Republicans more than they need us. The Republicans in Tallahassee know they have nothing to fear from the Progressive Liberal Democrats in south Florida. Complaining about Republicans may make you feel better but it's not helping anyone and it's not helping Lake Worth either.