A lot of hoopla was made last week over the revelation that congressional candidate — and UF graduate — Jake Rush participated in various role-playing games, typically starring as a vampire. The story quickly went national, as various political blogs and news outlets wanted to discover more on the vampire who wants to role play as a congressman.
Given all the crap we see out of Washington, D.C., why should we care that Rush moonlights as a vampire?
Sure, it’s a bit strange, but is that because role playing is truly awkward, or is it a lifestyle we just don’t understand?
It’s easy to be critical of Rush and his lifestyle, but we’re quickly moving into an era when our entire lives have been digitally catalogued, and almost all of us have posted something questionable on various social media sites, message boards or other websites.
Do you believe that completely disqualifies you from running for office?
Congress is a seething cesspool of inaction, bickering and political maneuvering that would not seem out of place in an episode of “House of Cards.” If a vampire wants to serve the citizens of Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, so be it.
A sizable group of Republican legislators — and Rush could be no different for all we know — have made it their job to neuter the Obama administration, preventing the president from accomplishing much of his agenda over the past three years.
When you refuse to work with the sitting president, effectively holding the country hostage, that’s not role-playing. That’s reality.
Don’t consider that Rush would head into Washington and help bridge the gap between the Republicans in the House and President Barack Obama. That’s not the case; the man is running as a conservative Republican.
However, there are far more serious things occurring in D.C. than us worrying about someone’s lifestyle, bizarre as it may be.
Last fall, members of Congress took this country to the brink of financial calamity by threatening to allow the U.S. to default on its debts.
Fortunately, at the 11th hour, Congress agreed on a solution that kept the country from jumping off a cliff.
To me, that’s far more frightening than Rush spending his fall pretending he’s a character from an Anne Rice novel. By comparison, it seems quite tame.
Whether it’s Rush or someone who dresses as Mr. Spock pretending he’s onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Gainesville and the rest of the U.S. deserve members of Congress who put their constituents and the best interest of the country ahead of political games and the circus act that plagues our legislative body.
We can make jokes about someone’s lifestyle, but if they’re truly committed to representing the citizens of their district, why shouldn’t we give them a fair shake?
Heck, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter was caught with a prostitute while he was wearing a diaper. Now, he’s poised to be Louisiana’s next governor.
Obviously, enough in that state believe Vitter has their best interests in mind despite his odd lifestyle choices.
Maybe it’s time for us to to reconsider Rush on the issues, not his vampiring ways.
And if Rush isn’t the right guy, I think I just saw Mr. Spock walking down University Avenue. Maybe he’s the right choice for Gainesville.
[Joel Mendelson is a UF grad student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Mondays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 4/7/2014 under the headline "Rush’s vampiring ways are not the issue"]
