Responsible democracy in action

We were very pleased to see Post-Dispatch’s Washington correspondent Chuck Raasch’s article on stltoday.com.  He writes about Ann Wagner’s apparent decision to skip the League of Women Voters candidate forum.  He states:

Patrick Howell, a spokesman for Wagner, R-Ballwin, said that the forum, scheduled for next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the St. Louis Community College-Meramec, does not fit into Wagner’s schedule.

The problem is that neither Mr. Howell nor Ms. Wagner are offering possible alternative dates that works for them and hopefully would work for the League, Bill Slantz, and me. I bet such a date exists. All the Wagner people need to do is to try.

Of equal importance to Ann Wagner’s apparent indifference to the forum and the needs of her constituents is the active engagement of the Fourth Estate. Democracy only works when the media is covering the real news. Yes, some voters want to know about polls and money raised, but others want reporting on the issues and the relevant practices of the candidate that relate to their ability to govern and represent constituents.

We’re pleased that Mr. Raasch wrote his article. Much more needs to be uncovered. The fact that Ms. Wagner knocks on friendly doors does not make her a responsive representative of all the people. I hope that Mr. Raasch continues his reporting and others in the media do their part so that we can all proudly say that we made the Nov. 4 election in Missouri’s Second Congressional District something that we can all take pride in. This is good for the citizens of the district and is a positive step towards restoring Missouri’s somewhat tarnished image.

Tags: Forumnews