When Barack Obama wrote The Audacity of Hope, and when , from across the aisle, John Danforth wrote Faith and Politics, I was hopeful of transformation on the political front. Both books argued for an end to the broken political process of partisanship, a rejection of the kind of rhetoric that resulted in a widening of the chasm between the competing points of view, and closure to the influence of the religious right.
In short, both politicians, one Democrat and the other a Republican, argued for a new kind of political approach, one that diminished partisanship through focus on the common good. Danforth and Obama painted a rosy picture of a dawning new day. Both promised action. Both made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, contemporary history has not proven the advent of a new political day. Be certain that I am not supporting in this article any particular political point of view. I am not promoting any issue, cause or politician. In fact, I refuse to do so. The system is so broken that it has ceased to work for the common good, and all those within it, though good intentioned, are caught up in a wheel that will not spin.
The art of politics is no longer (if it ever truly was) improvement of shared life. Politics is now about being properly positioned in order that one be electable or re-electable. The process is about power and influence that may be traded for votes on bills of competing importance. The question is far less often how voting on a particular bill serves the public good than how one's vote positions one within that person's party or with the media. The process has diminished to the point of sound bites and posturing.
I am disappointed in those who could have acted to repair the process. I am even more disappointed in the rhetoric that has been used to protect the old partisan system from transformation. The words have been ugly, childish and judgmental. Like children on a third grade playground, the process is to tear others down in order to build up one's self. The name calling and innuendo are ridiculous.
The question is whether or not the citizenry can act to change anything. Will it help to vote out all incumbents? Is the system so inexorably broken that it would taint any who would dare or aspire to enter it? Can we do no better?
I would love to hear from readers of The Shiloh Insider about what actions we might take. What are we to do to put into place a working political system, one that functions for the benefit of all of its citizens and serves as a light to the nations of the world? Is there a reasonable and practical course of action? Can we change anything?
1 comment:
Well, you have certainly asked the right question. Is there anything we as citizens can do to repair our political mess? It strikes me that it is not only the politicians who are guilty of this self serving and destructive partisanship. We the citizens are fully involved and invested in the same ugly strife. In the good old days, people discussed their political views in general conversation with tolerance and a sense of amusement at their differences. Disagreements may have been a bit unsettling but did not usually seriously interfere with relationships. The present political stresses have changed all that. We no longer can broach the subject of party, candidates, issues or personal values with friends or even relatives without fearing an angry response or even possibly termination of a relationship. If we have to measure everything we say to those that care about us and we can't trust that our thoughts will be heard with respect, a mutual love of country and desire to find some healing consensus, how we can we expect to be optimistic about civil discourse among politicians. Money, graft, abuse of power and personal egos have replaced the values and wisdom and true concern for the good of all as the governing principles of our nation. How sad and how difficult to confront...
I humbly suggest that it must start with us, discussing difficult issues with each other in a loving and respectful way, searching for some middle ground that we can model for others. We may never see how this will all turn out, but sitting back and doing nothing except cower and complain is unworthy of us.
Glenna
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