Today marks the end of a long and polarizing campaign. Before tonight is done, residents of Eagle will know if Mayor Jason Pierce has another four years to implement his vision or if Councilman Brad Pike will guide the city through 2027.
To hear people on both sides say it, making the wrong choice will immediately doom this community. With the mayoral runoff being the only election in the state right now, all eyes are on our little city. (Edit: Mountain Home also has a mayoral runoff today.) Every difference between the candidates has been amplified to provide as much of a contrast as possible. In the current year, every political issue must be distilled into good versus evil, so partisans on both sides cast their candidate as a saint and his opponent as the devil.
No matter what happens today, the sun will (probably) still rise tomorrow morning. No matter who takes the oath of office as Eagle’s mayor in a few weeks, we all still have jobs to do, families to love, homes to care for, friends to spend time with, and everything else that makes life worthwhile. People can get very passionate about many things, especially politics, but in the end we have to step back and remember that there’s more to life than arguing about politics on social media.
I play a lot of chess online. The way online chess apps structure match-ups means that you should always be playing at or just above your own skill level. You should therefore win approximately half your games, and lose approximately half. When I lose, it’s because I was completely outplayed, or I missed a tactic, or I made a dumb mistake. Sometimes I feel frustrated — not with my opponent, but with myself. Yet I’ve learned that I can’t dwell on such things, rather I need to brush it off and move on to the next game.
I’ve heard that great athletes have short memories. If Mike Trout strikes out swinging he can’t keep reliving that moment but has to get back up ready to make contact next time. It’s the same with politics. We support our candidates, knock on doors, write letters and social media posts, donate our money, time, and energy, and hope for the best. If we win, that’s great. If we lose, we move on to the next battle. We can’t allow ourselves to get stuck in the past, worrying about could’a, should’a, would’a.
It’s cliche to say that every election is the most important ever, but in a way it’s true. As our country hurtles through the current crisis, every election, from president down to city council, takes on more and more weight. Human beings also have short attention spans, so we forget how intense previous contests were and assume that the current one is crazier than ever. Again, win or lose, we need to take a breath and remember some perspective.
Politics has become so polarized in recent years. This mayoral runoff has caused divides not only within our community, but within friendships as well. I’ve had to block several people on social media when their rhetoric crossed the line. But that’s life. Each person has to do what is necessary to maintain their own sanity and safety. I never want to be so engrossed in politics that I lose my joy and cause harm to those I love.
Sports is a good analogy here. For many people, sports and politics fill the same area of life: watching the game, rooting for one side, feeling joyous in victory, depressed in defeat. When the Seahawks lost Super Bowl 49 with a goal line interception, I was upset for weeks, even though I understood rationally that none of the men on that team knew who I was or cared that I had devoted so much emotional energy to their game. That’s one reason why I stopped following sports, it was exacting too high an emotional toll.
Tucker Carlson gave a great speech recently in which he said, “The opinions of people you don’t know mean nothing… Never hand emotional control to people who don’t love you.”
This is a philosophy I’ve tried to remember. When people I engage with on social media call me names or spread lies about me, it is what it is. It doesn’t affect my self esteem, my view of the truth, or my relationship with my family. It’s just words from people who do not have my best interests at heart. If you find that social media interactions are starting to affect your real life mood, then start by blocking the people who are trying to get a rise out of you. Blocking isn’t cowardice, it’s curation. Life’s too short for toxic people.
After that, take a walk, touch grass, and get some fresh air. Remember that social media is not the real world. I see Twitter (and Facebook to a lesser extent) as the boxing ring. I’m going to get in there and throw some rhetorical punches, but I’m going to take punches too. The most disingenuous people are the ones who relentlessly attack others online but then whine when they get a taste of their own medicine. It’s the arena, you have to be able to give it and take it. But it’s always a great idea to take a break now and then and remember what the real world is like.
It’s a bummer when elections don’t go our way, but losing is just as much a part of life as winning. Those of us who are plugged in must be able to objectively and rationally look back at what went right and what went wrong so as to learn for next time, but all of us need to be able to take a deep breath and move on.
As I write this, I have no idea how the Eagle mayoral contest will turn out. I recorded an interview on another show this morning where I said I give it 50/50. Yet no matter what happens, remember that life goes on. We’re going to be okay.
"Pike won with 5,444 votes and 55.2% of the vote, over Pierce’s 4,427 votes. Turnout hit 41.8% of Eagle’s 23,610 voters, which is slightly less than the 43.1% of voters who came out in November."
Sadly, the Treasure Valley (along with much of Idaho) has continued its march left: Boise, Meridian, and now Eagle. Jason Pierce's defeat should be a huge wake-up call for conservatives. Democrats know how to get out the vote while conservatives remain disengaged. Turnout should have been HUGE for this race, but it was not.
I'm sad for Eagle and can only hope Jason Pierce's legacy will survive. Fortunately, the city council and most employees in the city agencies that Pierce helped build are competent.
I sincerely hope Jason Pierce will stay active and engaged with Eagle and Idaho, as he has for decades. His presence as mayor will be sorely missed by those of us who fled to Eagle from left-leaning cities and states and who appreciate just how amazing Mayor Pierce's accomplishments were.
The sun may have risen today, but its light has dimmed.
References:
* https://boisedev.com/news/2023/12/05/pike-wins-eagle-mayor/
* https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/incumbent-loses-eagle-s-divisive-mayoral-race-what-next-mayor-plans-for-avimor-housing/ar-AA1l3Z4j