Government is a core pillar of society. When choosing our leaders, there is a lot to unpack, and this column is intended to help readers do just that before election day.
Kabuki is a classical Japanese theater form dating back centuries and is known for its stylized gestures, bold makeup, elaborate costumes and dramatic frozen poses. A literal interpretation is ka (song), bu (dance) and ki (skill or art). Often the audience already knows the story, so the interest is in the performance.
Much to the chagrin of those who appreciate this cultural heritage, the term “Kabuki Theater” has also become American political slang for participants posturing for their base, the cameras or donors, knowing the real issues won’t change. Sound familiar? Think Congressional debt-ceiling
standoffs, Senate confirmation hearings or just about anything Secretary Pete Hegseth says.
Kabuki Theater has become commonplace in national politics, and I am sad to say it finds its way into Garfield County politics on occasion. With only three commissioners and a historically “red” county, it becomes even easier to showboat a populist opinion, or for a lone wolf liberal to perform their own dance. I am going to go out on a limb here and say I think most of us are tired of this version of Kabuki Theater, especially at the local level.
Recently I sat down with Eric Rudd and Jonathan Godes, the two Garfield County Commissioner candidates, for a conversation about the issues they have been discussing on the campaign trail. For fun I asked them some “lightning round” questions:
1. Would you support modifying TABOR to make it legal for communities to vote on a real estate transfer tax? Godes: yes / Rudd: yes
2. Would you support giving voters in unincorporated Garfield County the option to continue funding the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority? Godes: yes / Rudd: yes
3. Would you support making Garfield County a “home rule” county and adding two commissioners? Godes: yes / Rudd: no
4. Do you think passenger rail in our region is viable in my lifetime? Godes: yes / Rudd: yes
5. Do you think that AI will reduce the number of jobs in Garfield County within five years? Godes: no / Rudd: no
This was fun and it helped illustrate some of their perspectives, but neither candidate can really move the needle on these issues on their own. So, while yes/no questions, Q&A forums, debates and interviews can be useful for expressing ideas, the devil is in the details — and the work. On an elected board, even great ideas still need to be worked out by other board members, and possibly other jurisdictions. This is why I was grateful and impressed that both Rudd and Godes were willing to have a true conversation with me … and each other.
One of my most important takeaways is that I am cautiously optimistic that neither candidate has any interest in Kabuki Theater. Another takeaway was that even with smart people and great ideas, there is still plenty of work ahead.
It’s one thing for a candidate to present an idea about transportation solutions, but it takes true curiosity to actively listen and lead a community in implementing a funding solution. It’s reasonable to point to the private sector or to regulation as the solution to affordable housing, but it takes courage to compromise to find common ground to have real impact. It’s one thing to voice opinions about immigration and law enforcement, but it takes integrity to hold yourself and your peers accountable for their actions. And it’s fair to criticize the bickering between the county and municipalities, but it takes humility to eat a little crow sometimes in the spirit of leading by example.
As we dug into the issues, some differences and areas of agreement became clear, and there was curiosity to better understand how the other was seeing the problem. I also saw the potential for each of them to challenge the status quo, their colleagues and their respective political parties. What I took from our conversation is that both candidates have the sincere desire and capacity to lead Garfield County, and I for one welcome that.
True leadership is always helpful in elected office, but it’s hard to argue that the challenges we face at this moment demand it. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for elected officials to be exquisitely attuned followers instead of curiously courageous leaders. With elected office comes power, but for power to equate to leadership, it requires character too.
The election will be over in a couple weeks, and that’s when the real work begins. It’s when our elected officials can choose to sing and dance, or to listen and compromise. And our work is to hold them accountable, not by our own version of Kabuki Theater on social media, but with real conversations. I challenge the rest of us, including their soon-to-be colleagues, to be curious about the different perspectives either one will bring, and kick the Kabuki habit!