TERRE HAUTE —
Americans enter this campaign season in a cynical mood. Half of America doesn’t approve of the job President Barack Obama has done and the other half remain fearful of what President Mitt Romney might do. Too many citizens see politicians engaging in endless bickering, while their problems go unattended. Many citizens believe the system is broken.
I argue to the contrary. What we see is the normal messy and unsatisfying — but hardly unprecedented — outcome of democratic politics.
Upset with the current system, Americans yearn for the great statesmen of our past: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt. One does well to recall that all of these men were vilified by their political opponents. In the 1800 presidential election, President John Adams was labeled a “hideous, hermaphroditic character.” Meanwhile, a pro-Adams newspaper proclaimed that a victory by Jefferson (the incumbent vice president) would enhance “murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced.” These make current questions about tax returns and birth certificates seem rather tame. The dirty little secret is that we enjoy tough, nasty campaigns, and politics go negative because it works — and has for a long time.
If you want a good look at our nation’s most polarizing politicians, just drive to Mount Rushmore. Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court ruling establishing judicial review, stemmed from the Jefferson administration’s partisan desire to purge Adams’ appointees. Lincoln, considered by many to be our most successful president, was hands down the most polarizing. His election prompted half of the country to secede and take up arms.
The 1930s and 1960s were ideologically divided amid violent times. Tea Party rallies may be boisterous, but no one is getting their head busted these days.
Ideology expresses our respective visions of a “good society.” Partisan affiliation is how we marshal democratic support for these programs. In politics, it is fair to say that all procedural arguments are insincere. Similarly, almost all calls for bipartisanship are insincere; a call for opponents to surrender rather than a true desire for conciliation.
Are politicians solely to blame for Washington becoming more partisan in recent decades? No. The ideological polarization mirrors a greater ideological polarization in the electorate. America, not just Washington, is divided.
This division has created gridlock, a situation endemic in the checks-and-balances system which our Founding Fathers endowed us. Yet we seem to prefer this outcome. Since 1950, there have only been 20 years when one party controlled all three branches of government. Division is not just institutional, it’s political. The current fiscal mess was caused from our desire for European-style social welfare, with American taxation levels.
Democrats win by promising goodies; Republicans by promising low taxes. Those who dare to suggest that you can’t have both face fierce attack. We expect politicians to tell us we can eat lots of chocolate and stay svelte. When we get fat, we blame them. The old satirical comic “Pogo” captured it well: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Politics is a noble endeavor and the process by which we adjudicate vital national issues. Obama and Romney are presenting clear and contrasting visions of the future. That debate may get raucous, even shrill and angry. Nonetheless, on Nov. 7, one candidate will concede and the other will govern. This is the essence of politics — free men and women collectively resolving our great questions through deliberation and debate. It is how divided societies like ours rule themselves without undue violence.
Caricatures aside, practitioners of politics are largely dedicated, public-minded people. Having an impact on policy is demanding work, while trying to get re-elected every two, four or six years. If your goal in life is to make money, politics is a poor choice. The few examples of venality and selfishness overwhelm the much larger number of politicians who are devoted and hard-working.
The ultimate defense of politics seems weak at first, yet is more profound for being the most practically meaningful. All alternatives are worse. We may bemoan gridlock and partisanship, and cheer or lament the election results. The opposite of division is unity and those political systems that have tried to impose a unified view on their citizens have proven to be the most monstrous tyrannies.
Democratic politics is nasty and messy — the worst form of government, as Winston Churchill reminded us. The essence of democracy is politics. It remains our best hope of producing a better world. And, that is worthy of a stout defense.
Terrence Casey, Ph.D., is a political science professor and head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He is editor of the book “The Legacy of the Crash: How the Financial Crisis Changed America and Britain” (2011, Palgrave Macmillan).
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: In defense of American politics
- Flashpoint
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
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FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
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FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
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FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
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FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
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FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
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FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
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Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
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FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
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FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
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FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
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FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
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Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
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FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
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FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
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FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
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FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
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FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
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FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
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FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
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FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
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FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
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FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing.
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FLASHPOINT: ISU’s reasoning flawed in flight school planning
ISU and the taxpayers of Indiana and Vigo County are being led down a path of deception once again.
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FLASHPOINT: Incessant attacks on Christianity by the ACLU
It is obviously apparent that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing its onslaught against religious freedom in the United States.
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FLASHPOINT: Americans deserve more value for their tax dollars
While traveling the 8th District and listening to fellow Hoosiers during my first term in Congress, I have reached the conclusion that many constituents do not believe they are getting value for the tax dollars that come out of their paychecks and are sent to Washington, D.C.
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