BY RITA COOK / Freelance Writer
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Last week a reader asked me to outline what voters should look for in a candidate “other than the obvious” in the next election.
Short answer – stay away from voting for any politician.
I have three in mind I do think deserve to be re-elected.
That is three out of 537.
To my blue friends, sorry – the three on my list are red. I could’ve missed a few good blue ones too, don’t shoot the messenger.
Here are my suggestions to make sure the candidate you vote for has America at heart and not just his/her greed and ego.
The most obvious – don’t vote for any politician who has taken copious amounts of money from AIPAC or any lobbyist group or PAC.
The right politicians for the future of the United States are politicians who want to remove lobbyist from the US political equation.
How do you know if a politician has taken money, how much and from who – start with www.trackaipac.com and www.opensecrets.org.
Say goodbye to any politician unwilling to work at and succeed in passing a law requiring term limits. It was never supposed to be a lifetime job.
Remove any politician who currently thinks he/she should be paid during this government shutdown, now the longest in US history.
Last week Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) laid out a bill to prohibit lawmakers from receiving a paycheck during government shutdowns (www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/2025/11/kennedy-introduces-critical-bills-prohibiting-lawmakers-from-receiving-a-paycheck-during-government-shutdowns) and Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) introduced the companion bill of the Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.
MSN said, “Members of Congress are constitutionally required to get a paycheck, even if the government is closed.”
A little research proved that was not quite true (that silly mainstream media narrative). Article I, Section 6 sets that Senators and Representatives shall be compensated for “their services,” with the amount determined by law.
Excuse me, but who is defining services? If they were offering their service like the American people hired them to do, the government would be open.
The Constitution does not explicitly state whether members of Congress must be paid during a government shutdown. The payment of members of Congress is subject to federal law – not the Constitution.
I suggest everyone check in your city/state regarding how your Senator and Congressional Representatives believe regarding payment during a shutdown and lobbyist groups. It should be a non-negotiable question and answer helping to determine the Nov. 6, 2026, election.
Primaries are coming.
For example in Ellis County Congressional Rep, Jake Ellzey (who is also on the Appropriations Committee) is up for re-election. He has several challengers – James Buford and Brian Stahl. Ask them how they feel about these topics. Look at all their financial records past and present and remember you get what you pay for in politics.
As for the Texas Senate race, John Cornyn is seeking re-election in 2026. Ask his challengers, including Texas AG Ken Paxton and the nine other candidates running (the latter likely not hardcore politicians) what they think of lobbyists, term limits, and the current shutdown. There are also Democrats running in that primary so do research on them too.
Ted Cruz is not up for re-election next year but asked him if he thinks he should get paid. We know his Israel is not currently missing their payday since he has been clear about his staunch support when talking to Tucker Carlson.
Vote out any politician who believes bills that consist of hundreds and thousands of pages are a clever idea.
When was the last time you read a 1000-page tome?
Right, they likely did not read it either.
Keep in mind, these bills are often thrown together on more than one topic. When this happens, it’s a situation where politicians get together and make deals at the expense of the American people and possibly to the benefit of lobbyist and miscellaneous bank accounts as to what will pass.
But – how does one go deeper than just these ideas since most thinking Americans are already aware of the shenanigans listed above?
Let’s look at New York City who many believe they’ve hit the jackpot with the freebies their new mayor elect has promised.
Not so fast.
Zohran Mamdani was already asking for money on day one of his victory - just a reminder, nothing is free.
One person likened Mamdani’s request for money to “your boyfriend asking you for money to buy you flowers.”
Consider the fact that up until 1913, Americans kept all their earnings. Despite that fact the country still had schools, roads, colleges, railroads, subways, and a military. While it was a different time, maybe getting back to what America is all about and following the Constitution is not such a bad idea.
Pay attention to lawmakers who make promises that obviously will not come to fruition.
America is likely not ready for socialism or even Democratic Socialism – research that idea.
Margaret Thatcher’s quote comes to mind: “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
It’d be a good idea to stay away from anyone playing the blame game (for example, what we’re seeing in the current shutdown). It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. It matters that this small number of elected officials have the nerve to do such a poor job of handling what they have been put in office to do.
Apparently, we are at a place in this country where red and blue might never agree. Keep the politicians out of office who think it’s acceptable to constantly talk negatively about the other parties, which breeds dissension and conflict.
It’s also glaringly obvious we need to stay away from electing liars. We all know who they are, sometimes it’s too late when we realize it. Look at a person’s background. What have they done? What are they saying they have done, do they have receipts?
And let’s talk about war and the military industrial complex.
Yes, America needs a stellar military. Yes, some things are best kept secret. No, we don’t need a military industrial complex run by “whoever” it’s that lords over our own government naming the location of the next genocide. That behavior isn’t benefiting the American people. Compromising politicians who sternly hold the US’s best interest at heart, backed by a strong military will gain back this country’s respect and allow for future negotiation.
Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network said in an interview that Putin had called America’s military industrial state years ago a big problem.
He said he had dealt with Clinton, Obama, and Trump who came into office with interesting ideas but, “Then the men in the dark suits with suitcases and blue ties come to visit and explain to the presidents how things really are and you never hear of those president’s ideas again.”
I don’t believe in world peace. Humans are too egotistical and flawed for that idea. However, respect and integrity are character traits that will at least allow humans to maintain decency with one another.
If they’re against releasing the Epstein list, they need to go.
If they try to convince you that digital ID is the next big thing, they need to go (look at how China’s digital ID works, not a good idea for the US).
Ask candidates why is it acceptable to ignore genocide?
Why do they accept war versus compromise as a first option?
Why continue to pass laws not good for the American people?
And ask them what the plan to do to assure 42 million people will not go hungry in the future and how they plan to allow Americans to have their autonomy in the process.
Sure, let’s say 1 million of the 42 million are illegal and need to be shown the door. And another one million are willingly freeloading off the government. That’s a small group that needs to handled separately with severity and compassion.
Consider the fact that allowing people to go hungry and lose their insurance is mental and physical abuse. Would you allow anyone else to do that to you? So why are you allowing a politician you don’t even know? Either side of the aisle, abusers of the American people don’t deserve a place at the table.
Agree or disagree, there are no easy answers. However, we must vote only for the candidates willing to close the gap on the current insanity.
Rita Cook is a freelance writer for The Ellis County Press. She can be reached at rcook13@earthlink.net.
