Catherine Drea: May the best one win
There is often a big emotional response to a particular candidate. Take Micheal D., Miggeldy as he is affectionately known in our house - in his first presidential race he won with over a million votes.
How do we ever know that our perception of someone is accurate? I’m asking myself this having been sucked into the Traitors on RTÉ. This was my first time completing a reality TV show like this since Big Brother hit our screens. How do we know who is sound? How do we recognise our own biases? What kind of person is trustworthy?
The Traitors surely highlighted many of the ways we test each other out. Just like some of “the girls”, I was surprised to find myself focussing more trust on the lads. Why? Something about their self-assured confidence was very persuasive of their capabilities to win. Far from it, they lost the game in the end, and female intuition and resilience won the day.
I had thought that I would observe a natural alliance between the women in the Traitors. But the “mean girls” in-fighting was horrific and they ate each other up.
In the end, I found myself doing a last minute switch in my head and was shocked at how much I had sided with the lads even though they were lying, cheating and generally being competitive!
How often as a kid did I witness this overweening confidence on display during Monopoly.
Yes, Monopoly is the closest I have come to tactical game playing, and in the end Traitors is only a game. However, I am turning my attention once more to who rules the world and especially now that the men in charge are looking less and less like they know what the hell they are doing. The impetus to win at a personal ego level seems to override the practicalities of working together as far as they are concerned.
The latest game in town here is the Presidential Election. Do we automatically ask the same questions about our line-up of presidential candidates? How do we choose the candidate who has the right stuff to follow Micheal D.? Which of them can we trust?
There is no such thing as a level playing pitch when it comes to winning over the trust of the people. We are all coming to this upcoming presidential race with our own personal experiences, baggage and preferences. With my own beating heart on my sleeve, I am no different.
I belong to a group of voters who are not affiliated to any particular political party. Parties are a great idea, it’s not that. I am what is known as a floating voter.
I think the main reason for that is this litmus test of candidates, which dogs me. I always have to ask is this a person I can trust, admire and support? Is this person, as an individual, sound as a trout?
This is not a tactical way to approach things, I know. But it is essentially a human way of looking at things. All the schmoozing, flattery, fancy leaflets, soundbites and interviews will go over my head if I don’t connect with the candidate on a human level. Looking back on previous elections there is often a big emotional response to a particular candidate that is hard to put your finger on.
It’s the difference between picking a president based on a clever strategic game plan or picking one based on a gut feeling about their humanity. Take Micheal D., Miggeldy as he is affectionately known in our house due to the Miggeldy doll, which sits happily on a book shelf.
In his first presidential race he won with over a million votes. He came to it with huge experience, academic prowess and humanity. But, ultimately, I think people just warmed to him. It was his personality, his dignity, his big-heartedness. President Higgins and his dogs were loved by Irish people. Just because.
The affection for Micheal D. has continued and grown over two terms. When I asked people about why this is, they say things like; he is so cute, he is such an incredible representative for Ireland, he is fearless and strategic, he is artistic and, above all, he has his heart in the right place.
I would say the same affection was felt, especially by women, when Mary Robinson was running. When she said, at her inauguration, “the hand that rocked the cradle, rocked the system”. Mná na hÉireann cheered loudly and felt deeply connected to that moment.
It was an instinct for women to support her in huge numbers. It was a deeper feeling than just a judgement of her vast experience and her campaigning.
In both these cases the Party affiliation of candidates was low on my list of reasons for choosing these Presidents. Will that pan out this time, too? Will someone win the respect and love of the people? Just because?
Meanwhile, I am all at sea again. Only three candidates. Each one with their own plan of how to succeed. It’s very early days yet and a long road to travel. Just like the Round Table in the Traitors, there will be plenty of push and shove between them as they set out to win.
We deserve the best President. One we can trust. But, firstly, they each have to fight it out between themselves. May the best one win, for all our sakes.
