Attn: Complaint Department

For as long as I can remember, politics has been about complaining. Listing off problems, dishing out insults, prophesizing dire consequences. But I hate complaints. I don’t like it when other people complain. I don’t like it when it’s pointed out that I’ve been complaining.

What I like are good questions. Because complaints lead to frustrations—-but questions were made so we can find answers.

Instead of complaining that President Whoever is causing gas prices to spike what about asking To what extent do Presidential actions impact gas prices? Instead of complaining that Congress does nothing what about asking What does Congress actually do?

This is a difficult change to make. Complaining is a lot less work than being curious. Complaining is easy: repeat the same thing you’ve heard before, whenever you want. But to ask questions, we must be have to be open minded and patient.

I’m trying hard to make this campaign about questions and not about complaints. The more we all whine, the worse it gets. Because a lot of people aren’t even complaining about politics any longer. A lot of people have given up on politics entirely.

I get it. And to be clear, I don’t expect everyone to know, say, the names of all nine sitting justices of the Supreme Court. That’s not what’s important.

What is important is having trust that the people doing the work at the Supreme Court, and in every court, and in every part of government—-that those people have everyone’s best interests at heart.

But many of us don’t. We figure: it’s all corruption, incompetence. And we’ve given up on trusting the government, and most anyone in it.

This is my last idea. The idea of asking you to consider trusting some random dude. I want you to actually have confidence that I’ll tell you the truth and represent your needs.

I want you to trust me. If that’s even possible, it will take time. I’ll be here.

Thank you.