Matt Oczkowski: Fixing Our Broken Political System
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The rise of the Tea Party has become standardjournalistic fodder over the course of the most recent election cycles. In a predictable fashion, the media has struggled to measure the organizations impact and varying levels of success. Many on the left would have you feel that they are merely radicals pandering to the lowest common denominator. Many on the right would have you view them as the saving grace for the contemporary political landscape.
Whether you agree or disagree with the Tea Party’s image, it is hard to deny their steady coverage and ability to generate activism at a grassroots level. Despite the organizations arguably heroic stances and historical implications, many voters on the right remain timid over the fact of being labeled part of the ‘Tea Party’. People want to know when simply identifying as an American became outdated.
Speaking to many engaged Republicans over the last few election cycles, it is not difficult to sense the uneasy feelings that many voters hold towards the movement. The idea of being viewed as part of the minority does not come easy to most. Various stigmas unfortunately shape our political affiliations today, pulling at the primal emotions of the lion’s shareof Americans. In order to establish some level of normalcy in public life, most would prefer to remain uninvolved than become labeled by society as part of the problem.
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Why?
For all of the success that the Sons of Liberty had in the late 18th century, history books and modern lore tend to forget the ballast responsible for real reform and a unified American Revolution. While Patrick Henry’s language donned the front page of papers and pamphlets, the likes of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were siphoning the angst of the movement into reasonable legislation. Political implications aside, modern America has lost the likes of Adams and Jefferson. Their ability to unite the factions that made up the varying political pockets of society served as the catalyst for sensible reform.
The same can’t be said of the 21st century establishment. Those who we identify as the most senior members of either party have become figures of intense polarization and targets for expensive opposition campaigns. Giving birth to amovement established on the grounds of bipartisan compromise, in an environment of intellectual and spirited discussion, has been replaced by an insatiable need to achieve power through reelection using any means necessary.
This problem is bigger than the Tea Party; it is even greaterthan both political parties. Oursystem is broken, and has been broken for years. What was once seen as friendly debate is now characterized as vitriolic with hints of avarice. Sure we have seen some faint glimpses of hope throughout the past century, but every flicker of light has faded away as quickly as it came. Both parties incessantly cling to the hopes that Reagan or FDR will rise from the ashes to save our great land from its impending doom. As we spend all of our time trying to relive the past, we remain blind to the amount of work it will take to create a stable future.
The act of governing is slowly transforming into a shouting match where success is determined by the person who yells the loudest. The fact that our system of government has been reduced to the idea of a never-ending campaign has resulted in nearly stagnant legislative reform. Band-Aid approaches to bullet wound issues embody this irresponsible sense of passing the buck. We may not pay today, but it is almost a guarantee that our children will pay for our petulance in the future. What happened to the idea of taking responsibility for our actions? Have the days of honesty and living within our means become an idea of grandeur in some distant past? Responsibility and compromise should not be looked at as only existing in Shangri-La, but woven into the fabric of America. The ideas of hope and change should not be reduced to empty campaign slogans and political rhetoric, but embraced as tools for real reform.
It takes a great deal of faith to rest our futures on the shoulders of an elite selection of men and women. As we all struggle to make ends meet, we try to sleep soundly in the hope that our country is being led back to prosperity. Representing a constituency is a duty, not a retirement plan. Is there an American today whose idea of success lies in real reform and not reelection? If so, I urge them to stand up. Spirited debate should never be silenced, but when all we hear is the muffled sounds of partisan politics, we stop listening.
Those who label themselves as part of any organization are looking for a leader; someone to champion their cause within reason. Just as the Sons of Liberty needed John Adams, organizations like the Tea Party and MoveOn need a unifying voice; a person who can reduce all of the screaming down to practical decision making. In this environment, is it possible to elect a person who can transcend party politics, once again steering the power of American spirit towardsgreatness? It hardly matters where a particular organizations allegiance lies, what it represents or even the methods taken in securing an idea of liberty.Without a champion to mold the rhetoric into results, change will remain something we read about in the history books.
Modern America is looking for their ‘John Adams’.
