I've gotta say that I felt every "bell" of the campaign trail -- both before and after elections were announced.
The various quotes from the Councilor -- combined with the moment-by-tedious-moment retelling of the encounters with the various groups and individuals Axel was "courting" -- make me wonder how many hours Mr. Modesitt has spent doing this -- or playing Dekkard's role ..
My political career has been relatively short -- and mostly boring -- but I think I've been in every single one of those conversations at one point or another.
The fatigue. The questions. The reactions. The anxiety.
I guess I'll be curious to see what the feelings & thoughts are of those who haven't run for public office ..
These three quotes are just a selection of those that I "felt":
"Only a small percentage of the people really understand politics. The rest only think they do . . . or don't care."
"He's often said that a politician is always in danger of losing until the last vote is counted and he's definitely won."
"You make an effort to meet people you don't know," said Dekkard.
"Some people I don't know. You can neglect those who support you to gain new supporters, but you can't just rely on past supporters either. Like everything in politics, it's a balancing act."