News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Opinion

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
October 5, 2012

FLASHPOINT: In defense of American politics

By Terrence Casey, Ph.D. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

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).

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Opinion
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On' Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Raw: Marines Land Osprey on Japanese Ship Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin Pa. Girl Who Took on Donor Rules Gets Lungs Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Prosecutors Push for Smartphone "Kill Switch" Raw: Australian Begins Cuba to Florida Swim Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska Google Launches Internet-beaming Balloons Obama Welcomes WNBA Champions to White House Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying
NDN Video
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Miami Heat Wins in Overtime Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab Sofia Vergara Posts Perky Backside Pic in Thong Gaga Ditches Her Crazy Couture Caught on Tape: Teacher Accused of Beating Autistic Child "Stay Classy" Campaign Aims to Curb Binge Drinking Sesame Street Tackling Tough Topic Parents in Jail Miss Utah Fumbles Interview Question
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News