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Long ago, in a galaxy far away, a passionate young environmentalist with my name undertook a kamikaze campaign for the state senate, running as an independent. I had previously labored in Republican vineyards, and had got to know a prominent campaign consultant of that persuasion, who called me one day, having heard of my Quixotic quest.
“Tom,” he said in an avuncular tone (although we were not related), “you could do okay with this, but not by talking about pollution and sewage and agricultural chemicals, like you’re doing. Dealing with that stuff kills jobs, and people know it. You could get a lot farther talking about things that people like and that don’t hurt them, like recycling, and saving the rainforest.”
When an enemy of your cause offers free advice on how to win an election, especially in an avuncular tone, think Trojan Horse, and remember the Trojan skeptic who warned against Greeks bearing gifts. Continue reading