By Evelyn Pyburn

The line of demarcation has slid into the purposeful confusion of political gamesmanship.

Now that the filing deadline has closed and all the candidates for this election are known, please, let’s make this election about IDEAS, not parties.

Given the fact that some people are (understandably) disillusioned about what their party has come to stand for—the division lines between one party and another has shifted out of sight. Now-a-days, what they brand themselves to be — Republican, Libertarian, Independent and even Democrat – isn’t going to convey much information about what a candidate really stands for. It’s going to take more than a party affiliation to know what you are voting for.

The situation demands much more of voters.

Let’s be honest – in some parts of the state – for those who want to serve their community as a political representative, there is little chance of getting elected as a Democrat because the Democratic Party of today is very different in their principles and ideas from Democrats of old – and not all Democrats are in step with those changes. And, I suspect many of them are sitting on the sidelines, not knowing what to do.

Even if “Democrats of old” step forward to represent the principles and ideas that the party used to be about, they put themselves in a position to be pressured and perhaps even threatened by the new movement. They will not be supported by new visionaries.

As we have already seen in the past few elections, some Democrats have filed and successfully ran as Republicans, elected by Republicans who believed they could trust to party affiliations. I have seen people almost fall off their chairs in being told that some Democrat party faithful has filed for office as a Republican.

And, some of those “success” stories are surely the reason for some of the highly public disputes in the Legislature, which were undoubtedly a reflection of those differences in IDEAS.

All of this is to say – – the division line between the two parties has shifted out of sight. That line now exists within the margins of the Republican Party, which means a “Republican” may not be a Republican and the situation demands far greater due diligence of voters. Voters must work harder at identifying what each candidate really stands for by asking lots of questions about IDEAS.

But when you think about it, IDEAS are really what all of politics should be about. For some that is probably a novel idea, so maybe this change is a good thing. It is harder to do but the outcomes should be well worth it. It’s harder because thinking through ideas – each and every one of them – takes a focused effort. And, time! And, maybe even some research. At least they do if you don’t want to end up with confusing and contradicting conclusions that make no sense.

Because that is a reality for one and all, don’t be surprised if the candidates themselves don’t want to address IDEAS. Being glib or attempting to avoid answering questions about issues and policies should be the first clue that such candidates are probably not who they present themselves to be. If they slide quickly past an issue with a trite comment, or if they only want to knock the other party or their opponent; and they indicate no serious thought to any looming issue, then talk to another candidate.

Get detailed and clear answers to questions, which might mean asking the questions more than once in order to identify contradictions. If you know and understand your thoughts and ideas, it won’t be hard to sort the chaff from the wheat. You just have to spend more time and effort.

But, please vote based upon ideas, upon their ideas and yours.