Political parties were never envisioned by the writers of our Constitution. Certainly there were deep divisions of strongly-voiced opinions among those Founders. But they did not foresee those divisions manifested into formal organizations of political operations. Organizations that function as a virtual 4th branch of government, but were never defined or sanctioned in the Constitution. But this sub-government defines the reality and functioning of our government as much or almost more than the three branches that are legally constituted – much to the chagrin of our early leaders. As George Washington stated in his Farewell Address, “[The spirit of party] serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”
In the 150 years since the Civil War, the Republican and Democratic parties have thoroughly dominated our elections (with some occasional short-lived 3rd-party attempts). For the first 70 years of this period the Republicans held a virtual lock on the government. Then three successive presidents in the Roaring Twenties oversaw the country’s collapse into its worst economic depression and ushered in 12 years of Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt. Thereafter in post-WWII modern America, Americans have emphasized “balance” in their voting, automatically ceding their ballots to neither party: 6 Democratic presidents accumulating 32 years in the White House; 6 Republican presidents accumulating 36 years. One might conclude that Americans are a fickle lot, or instead that they simply like keeping both parties in check.
Over time, each party has changed its political posture in many ways, even while they retain their classic brands of “Republicans for the rich businessman” and “Democrats for the disadvantaged little guy.” Republicans freed the slaves and guaranteed voting rights to blacks and women by constitutional amendments, while Southern Democrats sought to extend de facto slavery. Yet today’s Republicans are shamelessly attempting to block eligible voters from voting, while Democrats are resisting these efforts. Republicans fought a war 150 years ago to hold the Union together against Southern Democrat attempts at secession; today’s Republicans speak incessantly in favor of “states’ rights.” Corporate and workplace regulation and anti-monopoly laws were instituted by Republican presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft, and environmental regulations were greatly expanded by Richard Nixon. Today’s Republicans argue that deregulation is the savior step for economic recovery, even as stories of corporate corruption or dangers to the American public are reported weekly. Republicans continually vocalize about the interference of “big government,” yet it is today’s Democrats who are fighting against laws invading our privacy and encroaching against our civil liberties. And amidst all the pontificating about financial responsibility, it was the three Republican presidents starting with Ronald Reagan who exploded our deficit spending and national debt – leading us into this current greatest of recessions.
President Obama is absolutely correct that Election 2012 represents as distinctive a political choice as we have seen in decades. A choice not just for president and vice president, but for state and local governments and decisions on how we choose to live our lives. As much as Mitt Romney would like to talk only about jobs and the economy, the Republican ascendancy of 2010 has wreaked huge upheavals in the states with assaults on voting rights and redistricting, marital rights, religious rights, public education, and government infrastructure and services – all hidden under the umbrella of supposed “financial reform.” Financial reform is needed, yes. But that should not be used to hide a radical social agenda that marches us backward from being a progressive, just, opportunistic, and safe society in the 21st century. As president-wanna-be Newt Gingrich observed, Americans dislike radical social engineering from the right as much as they dislike it from the left.
For me personally, when I look at the Republican Party of today, all of these “policy” issues pale next to one overriding issue. Democrats are often rightly accused of bad messaging skills, undisciplined strategizing, over-reach and excess in government programs, and a knee-jerk instinct for a government response to solve virtually all economic and social shortcomings. But over these last four years, at a time of severe economic and human crisis potentially just one step away from a free-fall collapse, at least they have tried to DO something. Because some significant things have needed to be done, and done quickly, with the patience to allow those somethings to bear long-term fruit. In these moments of universal need, affecting in one way or another Americans of all income levels and situations, a collective response has been needed for the collective good. But instead, today’s Republican Party chose to turn its back on its proud traditions and to ignore the needs of the American public. It decided to simply become the “party against” for the sole objective of just being against. Politics and a grab for political power, wrapped in a willingness to say anything regardless of its truth, has been the openly declared priority of this Party. Even the term “conservative” has been tossed upside down to become something that would be unfathomable to the conservative heritage of Goldwater and Reagan.
That decision to conduct a self-serving revolt instead of to achieve solutions for the American people has been a total breach of public trust and a violation of ethical responsibility. For that failure to put the American people first, forgiveness is not yet warranted. But accountability is demanded now.
“If I could not go to heaven but with a (political) party, I would not go there at all.” (Thomas Jefferson)
1 comment:
I found your thoughts balanced and insightful.
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