There is a demeaning, self-inflicted black cloud hanging over Washington DC. In the 40 years of Gallup polls, Congress has finally hit the single digits with an approval rating of 9%–yet they still won’t listen or change a thing–true arrogance. I don’t mean to sound snide, but the United States suffers from PPS–Political Partisan Stupidity. Past presidents, congressmen, and other politicians new to Washington have often proclaimed their dismay (and surprise) at how hard it is to find bipartisanship; meaning, an open-minded, unbiased political leader is very rare. This is, without question, the root cause of our nation’s major problems, and I simply don’t understand why it has to be this way. Accomplishing what is BEST for the American people is prevented by partisan ignorance they call “party loyalty.” The huge majority of us (all but that 9%) are sick and tired of partisan stupidity; politicians know this as well, but guess what? They don’t care.
I realize that some may stop reading when I say this, but it’s not only politicians–we can be just as partisan–which only makes the situation worse. If you preach party more than person, and oppose just about everything the “other” party develops, while blindly supporting everything your party comes up with, well, need I say more? Shouldn’t we base our assessments and decisions on what is best for “America” with no weight placed on party? Of course we should. So why don’t we? Why can’t they get along?
The best analogy of Washington Politics today might be “The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s” with their “loyalty” as the basis for their sins. No wonder Congress is at its lowest approval point in U.S. history (9%). As children we were taught that “loyalty” is something expected of us; an attribute for which we should be proud. I never questioned that notion, and held it strong to my beliefs and character. However, the so called ‘loyalty’ of partisan politics, so rampant in our nation, is clearly the barrier to positive change. There is seldom a newscast, political interview, or statement made (let alone political ads lambasting one party or the other), that congress and our elected officials in Washington don’t use “politics/loyalty” as their underlying reasoning for their decisions and statements. These over-paid individuals place ‘party’ before loyalty to the American people they propose to represent. This is called ‘ignorance’ not ‘loyalty’, for they ignore our request and demand for bipartisan partnership.
If we could put blinders to “party” on politicians so they would approach each plan and make judgments on merit alone, and pull the good stuff from each proposal (without knowing who submitted which plan), and generate a bipartisan strategy, our country would find itself in great shape quite soon. I have been on or managed more “teams” than I can count. As a government project manager, I was tasked with the distribution of a large government research budget (taxpayer money) across numerous disciplines. I was told, “You’re in charge, you have the PhD, you need to decide where the money goes.” And I could have.
My answer was “No! Allocation must be based on accomplishing the most good, it needs to be transparent and defensible, and ‘I’ can’t do that alone.” I established a team of scientists/researchers in those disciplines, and together we undertook a formal decision analysis. When complete, everyone on the team agreed that the most equitable distribution was indeed made, even though some did not get the budget they requested. It worked so well we published a technical journal article to show how smart, justifiable decisions could/should be made when in doubt.
If we could do it, why can’t our politicians do the same? Why can’t they put partisan politics aside, do away with “party loyalty” and sit together as representatives of the American People, rather than the Republican or Democratic party? Why can’t they direct their loyalty where it belongs—to you and me and our kids? Why can’t they be a caring, intelligent decision maker, rather than the typical “partisan puppet.” Why can’t they rely on the quality of their character, simple facts, Americans’ input, and a bit of decision analysis to do what is BEST for America–not party? It’s really quite easy.
Sadly, they can, but those few politicians who wish to, are outnumbered by the arrogant politicians who set themselves above every American. Just look at how our politicians make such fools of themselves during every state of the union address. Even when something positive is said, half the house is applauding, the other half sits there frozen, with a frown of arrogance on their pathetic faces declaring they have PPS–how embarrassing. I wish we could get rid of every arrogant, partisan puppet, and replace them with good, intelligent, working class AMERICANS who do not have their noses in the stratosphere. They would do what’s best for America, that I know–for they haven’t contracted PPS. Unless someone takes up the cause who indeed has power, the only thing you and I can do is Vote Out PPS. And even that is difficult. But we can let our feelings be known. I hope you will. There are caring, nonpartisan politicians who want to do right by us, we need to get them a seat where it counts. tj