The number of people running for governor is like trying to decide what kind of ice cream to buy at your local ice cream shop. With so many flavors to choose from it will be hard to choose which one to buy. And if the mainstream media have their way they will decide who wins and who won’t.

This is a list of candidates, as near as I can figure, that are running for governor: On the Republican side are Steve Abbott, Bill Beardsley, Matt Jacobson, Paul Lepage, Peter Mills, Les Otten, Marty Vachon and Bruce Poliquin. On the Democrat side you have Donna Dion, Libby Mitchell, Steve Rowe, Pat McGowan, John Richardson, Rosa Scarcelli and Peter Truman. On the Green Party side is Lynne Williams. On the Independent side are Sam Bailey, Christopher Cambron, Beverly Cooper-Pete, Eliot Cutler, Augustus Edgerton, Alex Hammer and John Whitcomb. This is quite a smorgasbord of candidates that are running.

From this day on, the candidates will be scrutinized by the media, their souls will be torn apart and their guts will be torn wide open to be dissected and analyzed by the mainstream media. I often wonder why anybody, in today’s society, would want to run for office. Running for office is not like running for office of yesterday when people had respect for the candidate. Running for office today is a stage you act upon. You have to be a really good actor to be able to stay in the game. Be prepared for whatever is coming at you just as an actor prepares for his role, because you are actually playing a role, a very important role.

We have a lot of newcomers who have thrown their hat into the ring and some old, familiar faces. A lot of these candidates will be dropping out as soon as the media start to turn the heat on them. Instead of trying to find out what each candidate stands for or believes in they will try to rip him or her apart. They’d rather dig into their private lives than dig into their good or bad qualities. By the time the June primary arrives what is left of the smorgasbord after being devoured by the media will go on until the votes are counted and the victors will move onto the main menu of the dinner, the November election. After the June election what is still on the plate will be devoured even more and whoever is elected will be the main course for the media for the next four years.

After the November election all the losers will have four years to recuperate, lick their wounds, mend their pride, and try once again. Some may never recover, and some will call it quits for good. It is these who I worry about that quit for good. These are usually the best, honest, and God-fearing people that have the best ideas and intentions. Totally destroyed by the media. Never wanting to run again.

It looks like Bruce Poliquin has the most money so far, with over $600,000. Is this the sign of the times? The one with the most money usually wins. Stay tuned as the dust clears. I thought I knew a lot about the candidates that are running, but I didn’t. Take this warning! Do a lot of research, weigh the issues and dig deep. You never know what you might find.

We as Americans are so fortunate to live in a society where candidates with different backgrounds and with different values and ideas can run for an office. No other country in the world has this much freedom.

Thank God there are some running that will run on their own, with honesty and integrity, who believe in fundamental principles and have common sense. If you do not like what is going on, get involved.

Richard Cross lives in Naples.