Flash ahead a few years and there he is, running for Mayor. I'd gotten into politics and wished and hoped for a Roosevelt - Teddy that is - maybe not the real Roosevelt, but someone like the imaginary one in my mind. Someone who shoots from the hip, tells it like it is, and isn't afraid of polls, the press, or (most importantly) the politicians. Hearing Wilder say he would do away with corruption in the city government didn't convince me - words, just words.
    Wilder hit the ground running. It seems his budgeting policy is, 'How about I take away all your money, then you show me what you really need?' He was winning me over.
    When the local minor league baseball team - The Braves - tried to extort a new stadium out of the city, Wilder stood up to them. First they said they couldn't play because of a drainage problem, so they'd need a new stadium. The drainage problem was fixed, so they tried other means of digging through our pockets. Wilder didn't back down. Like it, or leave.
    All this may sound like he's mean-spirited, but he's just the opposite. He's warm, clever, and witty. Not the usual terms you use for politicians. Most important, he's logical. In a swarm of hysterics, exaggeration and downright lies, this is a man who would say, 'That's hysterical exaggeration and downright lies,' and then point out every part that's wrong, what's right and what's going to be done about it. We need more men like this, in general, and certainly more in political office.