“You get what you vote for.” I often see that refrain, or some variation of it, in response to stories regarding things gone awry in a “blue” city or state. And at first blush, it seems like sound logic. But…is it?

Does every candidate or ballot measure you vote for win? Not for me. If I were given a letter grade for my vote “success” rate, I’d have a solid “D” at best.

Do even your preferred candidates follow through on all of their campaign promises once elected?

Republicans in Missouri have a supermajority in the legislature — are conservative measures being passed to your satisfaction?

There are over five million Republican voters in California — closer to home, over two million in Illinois. Even in the City of St. Louis, there are Republican voters — and voters who didn’t vote for the current leaders or their disastrous policies. And even those of us who don’t live in those jurisdictions often are impacted by those policies – and we certainly didn’t vote for them.

So dismissing bad leaders and their failed policies as merely the just deserts of those who voted for them is overly simplistic and short-sighted. If we want better candidates and better policies, our responsibility doesn’t begin and end with who – or what – we vote for.

This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Monday, April 17th. Audio included below.

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