As a student and observer of American Politics over my lifetime I can say that I have never seen a political landscape as fragmented and tumultuous as it is as of this writing since the American Civil War. There are members of my extended family who are not speaking to one another because of their beliefs in one current political philosophy or another. This is analogous to the “brother against brother” claim as to the strife on families over the issue of slavery during that war. This is a sad commentary on our country. It has brought us to the point of sporadic violence against one another in some cases, which in a Democracy is shameful at best. I hope we do not see the worst, luckily that I think is many steps away. Imagine an armed insurrection or a civil war where our greatest investment, our homes are burned to the ground, citizens shot in the streets. As society breaks down where will we get our medicine, food, clothing etc. All things we currently enjoy and need in a stable society which relies on uninterrupted peaceful order. We as Americans have come too far socioeconomically to risk those things. We must remember that political parties and individual politicians are not sports teams, nor sports figures. The winner takes all attitudes of political observation and election results prevalent today on television, will and has, angrily spilled over into the daily reality of real life. That is when we need to take stock. Democracy only works when there is a term being practiced that has become a sign of weakness, that word is COMPROMISE!
A new political party has emerged, the No Labels party. According to them they wish to go back to a political state of equilibrium where issues affecting small numbers of people were not used as dog whistles to gain votes, and when the loudest protest group acting as a squeaky hinge gets the oil in the form of political and media attention. Too many people in this country are concerned with their own political ideas and wants and not the country. Ask yourself what is politically good for the preservation of the middle-class lifestyle that made America what it is today, and how we can help those who for whatever reason have not been able to attain entry into the middle – class to become functioning citizens and not the flotsam and jetsam of economic life because in the end they can cost society as much as preventative means would. A nation where all its citizenry prospers is a strong nation.
Third party movements are often spoilers for whichever party their platform leans toward. In the history of our country, they have only been successful at the state level. We will see if they are successful, though it will be an uphill battle for them. A parliamentary form of representation according to Thomas Jefferson, was the best political exercise in lawmaking as it fostered compromise, perhaps the time has come to rid our-selves of the two-party system which in the great experiment of democracy has become nothing but a Mexican standoff on Capitol Hill. When you go to the polls in November don’t choose a candidate out of a knee jerk reaction to one individual issue. Television and the ability of it to create a cult of personality out of politicians has negatively affected what a candidate represents. Evaluate all the issues a candidate stands for and see which column of your personal preferences, based on your own best interests, deserves your vote. Remember, vote before any extremist party makes it become illegal. It’s your most powerful gift given to you to preserve a democracy. America is a great country. Let’s keep it that way.
