Just which way are we headed?

Politics. Remember when it was boring?

Remember when you were too busy working, scrambling to pay bills, chipping away at the mortgage, keeping track of the kids, watching crappy TV, to get involved in the carnival of cascading public events? I don’t either.

Still, if there is one word that can offend more people, with a simple three-syllable utterance, than “politics,” lay it on me, man.

Our futures — at this crucial moment, with The Swamp increasingly mucky, and Connecticut in a seemingly continuous deficit — are hinging on government, public life and, yeah, politics.

But with no national election, is this gonna be a year when you pay more attention, instead of complaining, then tuning out the various messages from candidates, with the agendas of their behind-thescenes financial patrons?

On a certain level, the powers that be, namely Democrats and Republicans, would be happy for you to stand back and leave it to them. Fortunately, there is a formidable presence in Connecticut upon which all elections hinge: unaffiliated voters. If you’re in that bloc — of most voters — you’re not even a member of what was once the Grand Old Party, like Danbury was the Hat City, like New Haven was the Elm City and Bridgeport the Park City.

The Park City monicker has been basically inert for decades. Danbury is better known for hilltop corporate ant farms than the historic manufacturers of head gear. The elm blight of the mid-20th century wiped out New Haven’s majestic trees.

Connecticut Democrats, like their cousins in the U.S. Congress, are fractured and full of self-doubt.

On Friday, there were 452,652 registered Republicans and 773,504 Democrats. The 869,110 unaffiliated voters are the difference between victory and defeat in the campaigns over the future of the state.

There’s a lot on the line stake in this election season. Is Connecticut going to stay “blue” for purposes of the national map of target states for the Trump administration?

Is state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby on her way to becoming the first GOP female to become speaker of the House? Are Democrats going to be able to retain the Governor’s Residence and majorities in the General Assembly? Are Republican lawmakers going to win back a chamber of the legislature for the first time since John Rowland wasn’t a crook?

You can say a lot about Connecticut Republicans, and there’s a lot to say, in this age of Washington craziness. But for starters, most state GOP types — except for the small ultra-con “no” contingents who oppose nearly every bill in the House and Senate and are currently marginalized — could not, really, hang out with, say, your average, frothing pol from Alabama. Northeast Republicans are generally a different, moderate, species, particularly on social issues.

And so far in 2018, state Republicans are the party of transparency.

The platoon of Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls — can we call them goobers? — are limiting themselves to small, limitedaction events before various town committees. They’re low-key, mostly way-belowthe-radar events, collecting campaign contributions (They are contributions, not donations. You donate to tax-exempt groups such as WPKN community radio in Bridgeport), but more importantly, working their insider game of gathering support for the party’s May convention.

Republicans are doing the same thing, with a twist. State GOP leaders decided to stage a series of public debates, one in each congressional district leading up to their May convention, where only those who emerge with 15 percent of delegate support can join the August primary ballot.

J.R. Romano, the state party chairman, says the stage performances are a good way for Republicans, and the public, to gauge potential candidates. And 300 to 500 people have been showing up for these throwdowns, watching these would-be governors face small panels of reporters in big rooms. The results have been sometimes scary, certainly entertaining comments and interactions among the various hopefuls.

At this point there are so many potential candidates that if you shook a copy of the Constitution at them, you could sprain a wrist.

“I am very proud of the fact that we are debating issues facing the state of Connecticut that average people are interested in,” Romano said. “I had run statewide races before as an operative, and candidates spent an inordinate amount of time talking to very few people.”

Thus far in the debate series — which continues at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Notre Dame High School in West Haven and is to be streamed live on the Republican State Central Committee’s website — the state’s financial troubles have been the general focus. Each event costs the state GOP about $4,000 to stage. Tickets are as low as five or 10 bucks.

“If I’m the Democrats, maybe they’re not comfortable having those tough conversations in public,” Romano swiped. “It’s an opportunity to get excited and for our candidates to get sharper. People are engaged.”

Politics and public policy. We — and our futures — are all in this together.

Ken Dixon can be reached at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. Visit him at twitter.com/KenDixonCT and on Facebook at kendixonct.hearst.