Keller @ Large: Want Change And Hope? Look In Your Backyard
BOSTON (CBS) - The presidential nominating race is always an interesting story, and when it ends, there's usually a little bit of regret among those of us who follow it for a living.
But not this time, for me at least.
Even by the low standards of contemporary political rhetoric, the quality of what the leading candidates were putting out there was disappointing.
Bernie Sanders excited a lot of voters with his scorched-earth critique of the status quo, but his proposed solutions often didn't pass the laugh test.
Hillary Clinton was her usual weather vane self, going with the prevailing winds on trade and wages and struggling to persuade anyone beyond the true believers.
And while Donald Trump easily outsmarted the GOP field, it's still an open question whether he's smart enough to keep his foot out of his mouth for five minutes without a teleprompter to help.
No matter who wins at the federal level this November, it's probably not going to be pretty next January and beyond. We know what partisan gridlock is like; the only thing worse than that is across the board one-party control.
What's the moral of this unpleasant story?
If you want change and hope, look in your own backyard. Your governor, your legislator, your mayor, your neighbors.
Those are the power-brokers who can really help change your life for the better.
The circus in Washington? Good fodder for the media, no doubt.
But in the end, it's really just a sideshow.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
