Wannabe Presidents Aren’t That Good at Communicating

Silly me, last week I asked via e-mail and by using the forms posted on the websites of the four main candidates for the supreme position in the state a set of 14 specific questions in order to know who to vote with, asking for an answer for each of these questions. That is, what the candidate’s opinions actually are. A “YES” or a “NO” would have been enough. I didn’t at all think that they would answer themselves, they have campaign staff to do that. Or maybe they don’t, or maybe they are so poorly prepared that they know nothing at all. Or maybe they don’t really care. What is certain is that the following happened: I only received a message from Monica Macovei’s staff, which said that some of the answers can be found in the electoral program. Sincerely, etc. Full stop. That was it. From the rest, nothing. And no, I’m not campaigning for M! I don’t want to be misunderstood.

It seems that the candidates are not comfortable with personal, direct and genuine communication. However, they don’t mind appearing on TV; maybe not even there actually, since they are not that prominent on television either. They prefer to put out messages in the media, either shielded or not. What they haven’t heard, or what they don’t think they need to bother with, is that there are many voters like me in Romania and their number is growing. Like me, that is, those who want to know for certain why they are voting for a certain candidate. They want the real thing, not the televised dances, the directed interviews and the slum babbling. They want to know what they will receive during that candidate’s term. The downside is that if such a voter votes, they will monitor the winner during his term, interact with him, criticise or praise him as appropriate. The exercise of direct communication between the voter and the person chosen is very uncommon in Romania, but those who have the courage to form an opinion and to question the person in charge at least once, will have that with them forever, manifesting themselves publicly or privately and directly with the one they chose as leader.

It seems that these ladies and these gentlemen fear exactly this: real talk and being monitored.