“In the very end civilizations perish because they listen to their politicians and not to their poets.” – Jonas Mekas
As I write this, the election results are still a day away from being announced.
However, if things go the way most of the polls and prognosticators are saying, then I will be laughing my derrière off.
When a political party makes staying in power its sole objective, the people only will take so much for so long, and while it’s not hard to figure out which party I’m referring to, the opposing cult of personality has also spent the campaigning season pouring millions of dollars into candidates in an effort to convince us all that the other side represents everything wrong with America.
The shrill noise of campaign advertisements that have led up to Election Day, as well as the ridiculous rhetoric on mailers that have stuffed mailboxes have reached new levels of absurdity this year, but then again, politics, in general, have become increasingly ridiculous. We the People lose when we allow our daily lives and our social media presence to become a battlefield of insults, conspiracy theories and allow ourselves to buy into the economy of outrage.
Regardless of how the midterms fare, there’s a much larger question begging to be answered: who are the real losers in American politics? That answer, in my mind, isn’t necessarily the candidates who lose elections, but the politicians who have become so consumed with keeping their seats of power that they have forgotten why they deigned to run for said offices in the first place. Right alongside them are the voters who worship those politicians so blindly that they no longer seem interested in holding them to account.
Public office was never supposed to be a lifetime appointment or entitlement, or a personal investment in power. No. It was supposed to be about serving We the People. Quite simply, and it’s bizarre I even feel compelled to write this: representatives were elected to listen to their constituents, address the problems facing the communities they represent, to protect the institutions that keep our experiment in a democratic republic going and working toward making life better for their constituents.
Somewhere, however, along the way, too many politicians decided that serving their constituents was secondary to serving their own political survival.
Issues that matter to constituents became mere talking points when campaigning seasons are in effect. Case in point: like an absent parent who comes around on select holidays out of obligation, we can tell when Greg Abbott is ramping up a reelection bid because promises of property tax reform are trotted out.
One party wants us peons to believe that they are the way, the truth and the light sent to save us from the other side, who are communists and/or demon-possessed, while the other major party typically gives off a vibe that sending strongly worded e-mails will fix everything that’s amiss.
There is nothing wrong with voicing support for a political party or admiring an elected official, after all, a healthy democracy counts on people having strong convictions and participating in the civic process. There is a considerable difference between mere political support and worship, though. When voters excuse every transgression, or defend every contradiction, regard legit criticism as an attack on their own identity and dismiss every scandal, they’ve stopped behaving like citizens and more like subjects. No politician deserves that kind of bizarre loyalty.
As Americans, we’re not supposed to cheer unquestioningly for people we elect. We’re here to question them, challenge them and demand that they deliver on their promises, and that all means recognizing that they work for us, not the other way around.
We the People are not stupid, but it feels that all-too-often, our political overlords think of us as such, which I find disgusting and morally reprehensible. One particular party seems to focus day-in and day-out on culture wars, or wants us all to be distracted by them. Problem is, those culture wars aren’t bringing the costs of gas, healthcare or groceries down. Addressing a non-existent problem of trans athletes using public school restroom facilities is not fixing the teacher shortage or school per-student funding issues.
I read the other day a report stating that party spent an estimated $183 million this midterm season on television ads focused on attacking transgender people. That is insane to me. How does demonizing a demographic that comprises less than one percent of the overall US population address any meaningful issues facing everyday Americans? Furthermore, just think of all the good that could be done with that $183 million.
Ultimately, the midterms, as always, produce winners and losers, and some politicians will celebrate victories, while others will concede defeat. Meanwhile, political consultants will begin the process all over, and start to calculating their next opportunities.
The real, true-blue losers, however, will be those politicians who value their own political longevity more than the public good, as well as the voters who are so invested in their political cult leaders that they have surrendered their own willingness to think critically.
We the People do not require perfect political leaders, but we should be able to maintain an engaged electorate willing to hold imperfect politicians accountable, and if we ever forget that distinction, we will all lose something far more valuable than a single election.
