This Party Thinks

As we sat in the Garden room of Bissell Brothers Brewing in Portland enjoying a comp lunch and meet and greet for 2nd Congressional District candidate Jordan Wood, a close friend appeared at the door whom we immediately welcomed to our table. Over lobster rolls, pigs in a blanket and an excellent lager, we discussed the ongoing Maine Democratic Convention. A seasoned politician, our friend lamented the breadth and complexity of the party platform. He felt that it would be more effective to simply have three main stances from which to campaign instead of ten or twelve. And being a political neophyte myself, I pondered this insight and saw some of the wisdom in it. To have very wide consensus on a few essentials can give power and focus to candidates.