A decade ago, when candidates called to ask me for a meeting, my reply was, “I am busy.”
How wrong was I? I realized that I could be viewed as arrogant. Also, my behavior was not aligned with my passion. Politics is in my blood. The Northwest Asian Weekly is fond of political stories.
The excuse for avoiding candidates has more to do with fears of not knowing the candidates or the issues well. These days, I seldom say no to anyone. My curiosity toward politics and politicians just grows as I get older.
I don’t need to worry about what I don’t know. I don’t worry if candidates find out that I am ignorant in certain subjects. My goal is to learn about the candidates’ backgrounds and understand why they do what they do. All I do is listen and ask questions. The exchanges with candidates have been productive for us in our endorsements. ♦