I go to some effort to minimize national politics and controversies in the Chinook Observer. Nowadays, there must be tens of thousands of places to keep up on the latest fights in Washington, D.C., but there is only one covering Pacific County, Washington.

A couple years ago I began clamping down on the main section where political controversies cropped up, in letters to the editor. Dueling views about President Trump took up too much precious space, while achieving almost nothing. His enthusiastic fans and ardent critics seemed mostly to write for their own gratification, reveling in the self-importance of their views without shifting anyone else’s opinion. It is an enduring mystery to me why people would ever put political squabbles above good neighborliness.

This is partly because I’m no stranger to political dust-ups. My first serious political experience, at age 15, was volunteering for a Republican candidate for governor in Wyoming. It was a wonderfully content-filled summer — even though he lost, before coming back two years later to win a race for U.S. Senate in 1976. Sen. Malcolm Wallop and I began to fall out soon thereafter, when he rejected President Jimmy Carter’s plan to transition the country to a more-sustainable energy future. Doing so at the time might have helped mitigate the climate disruptions we’re now experiencing.

Malcolm died in 2011, while President Carter appears likely to outlive him by a dozen years after what has surely been the most celebrated post-presidential life since at least Theodore Roosevelt. Looking back, I deeply regret my toxic confrontations with Malcolm — regardless of still thinking I was right on the issues.

Once you’ve worked on a campaign or actively volunteered with one, it’s much easier to comprehend their appeal, why politicians are willing to subject themselves to this incredibly life-disrupting process that contains such potential for humiliation and confrontation.

Even on the losing end, campaigning is a rich and memorable experience. It’s a chance to perform, to see areas of the state or nation you’d never otherwise visit, drinking icy cold pops by dusty highways, plotting your next move. On a campaign staff, you’re paid to have a rich imagination. You’re darned near paid to flirt and attend parties. In short, I commend it to anyone.

With the exception of meaningless arguments over national politics, I treasure most letters to the editor and encourage you to write about local, state and regional issues, or even just about interesting events in your own life. Letters are a wonderful way to make connections and strengthen our sense of community here on this amazing Pacific Northwest shoreline. Email them to editor@chinookobserver.com.

As always, I deeply appreciate your support for this community project. Maintaining community bonds is one of our most vital missions. You play an essential role.