Sharpe Emphasizes Solutions

At least as far back as 2012, political candidates have strongly urged people to vote against opponents. Think back to that presidential election, and you’ll remember that the Obama/Romney camps warned their respective bases to vote against the other guy. Fast forward to 2020’s presidential race, and the respective campaigns’ main message to voters was that the other guy would wreck the country. From voting for the lesser of two evils, we’ve fallen just to voting against evil, which means that every election we’re asked to vote by our hatreds.

There is a better way, and a Bronx native running for New York Governor has found it. Larry Sharpe, 53, is running on a platform which emphasizes solutions rather than demonizing opponents. Whereas other candidates talk about the harm their opponents would cause if elected, Sharpe focuses on actual policy, going so far as to post white papers on his website. In this context, anybody attacking Sharpe ad hominem has to counter with competing proposals. This shifts discussion back to actual solutions, which is Sharpe’s only focus on campaign.

Some may call Sharpe’s policies “radical,” but I challenge critics to contrast his website with those of other gubernatorial hopefuls. Absent are the vague platitudes about “supporting and caring,” replaced by Sharpe’s detailed plans. Though professional political consultants nowadays advise candidates just to bad-mouth opponents, the only radical thing about Larry Sharpe is that he’s offering actual plans New Yorkers can vote for!

Daniel Donnelly, Amenia
Dutchess County Libertarian Party Chair

[published in the Northern Dutchess News, December 8th, 2021]