Today, I was thinking about something I heard Bob Dylan say in an interview. Well, I think he said it or maybe someone said it about him – in any case, what was said was “You can’t be smart and in love at the same time.” The quote has stuck with me since the age of 17 – most recently, due to a relationship I had that I was “smart” in – and with my current love/hate/snooze relationship with the election. The words of the great Bob Dylan (or who ever said it, really, I just wanted to name drop. Shout out to big homey Bob Dylan. I see you baby!) have been bouncing themselves from corner to corner around my mind like an old screen saver on a clunky desktop monitor.

What I came up with is whether it be picking a relationship to be in or picking a candidate to believe in – the motives and aspirations behind both decisions are very much the same. Your hoping this person will make your life better. Your hoping this person will keep their word and not lie to you. You hope this person will be better than the last and not betray your trust or break your heart. And most of all you hope this person will be there for you for better or for war, in sickness and in health care, till death or final term do you part.

Now, when I think of the ‘can’t be in love and smart’ thing, I can’t help but think of it in political terms. If I had a dollar for every time I fell for the pretty popular girl before I really knew who she was, only to regret it in the end; well, I won’t say I would be rich, but I would be hood rich. Needless to say, basing your opinion on looks alone will work about as well as a condom with a safe sex pamphlet stapled to it, because looks can be deceiving, and so can the looks of politicians.

So, politics like relationships is about results, everyone talks a big game, but when it comes down to it, we’re all looking for someone who is gonna deliver, right? It’s All Good if a person/candidate has you at hello, but remember to be smart and save your love till they show you the money, a.k.a. the results you trusted them to yield. Then it’s perfectly ok to pack up the little gold fish in a ziplock bag, leave smart behind and follow your love/candidate whole-heartedly till the credits role. (Did you like that Jerry Maguire metaphor?!?)