America's political earthquake
published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 1/19/16
Maybe it’s all that hot air from global warming, but we are having some wild times in American political theatre. With each passing day, it looks more like Americans really wanted all that hope and change President Obama promised but didn’t deliver. Real changes, too, not just new wallpaper and curtains.
Presidential elections are supposed to catch our attention and this cycle has already offered wake-up calls to just about everyone involved in American politics. Decision-making begins in two weeks, and there’s a real possibility that, come November, our two choices for president will be an avowed socialist and a bizarre New York tycoon. Wow.
The seers of American politics have attributed this unlikely story line to “political polarization.” More than anytime in the last 70 years — maybe longer — the rhetoric streaming out of the Republican and Democratic parties reflects not only contrasting views of how government can shape society, but also vastly different underlying beliefs about what drives the human spirit in our quest for life, liberty and happiness.
Maybe that’s true, but I’m not buying that over-simplification as the force behind the ongoing earthquake in American politics. America is a complex nation and simple arrows directing our political beliefs to the left or right do the debate a disservice. This year, we are digging deeper. Americans are demanding a discussion about what “left” and “right” really mean.
These intense and substantive debates within the lefts and rights of American politics were not supposed to happen this year. Establishment Democrats had a Clinton coronation to go to and establishment Republicans had podiums full of candidates with nice suits and good resumes. Democrats had clever policies about solar panels and tax breaks that didn’t scare anybody and Republicans had plans for growing American business while scaring the crap out of the rest of the world with our unmatched military might. In other words, we were all about to be served “the usual” delivered with a large side of political correctness.
But, We the People who will be doing the voting aren’t having any of it. Nope, we want to hear how candidates plan to change America in ways that might actually allow us to realize our dreams. We want some meat to chew on.
On cue, Bernie Sanders enters on stage left and Donald Trump enters on stage right. Both of these guys have shattered the plans of their respective political establishments.
Bernie’s outright calls for class warfare and political revolution have revived the animal spirits of the Democratic Party and anyone listening has no doubt about how he plans to change America. Contrast Bernie’s willingness to put radical ideas squarely on the table with the airy-fairy Hope and Change on the Obama ’08 posters. Bernie has proposed socialized medical care and free higher education while advocating flat-out-no-apologies Robin Hood intentions to take from the rich and give to the poor. Easy to understand and no doubt that big changes would be forthcoming under President Sanders.
Donald, on the other hand, avoids getting lost in the details of what he might actually do if elected — probably a good thing given how scary he can be when he does get specific. However, his real contribution to the debate has been his sharp knife for carving out the heart of the political correctness plague that has raged in America for decades. The brash New Yorker seems to have tapped a vein of American culture that has reached their limit of not being able to say what they think, and he has captured many Americans’ favor by simply saying some of those things out loud. While Donald Trump’s contribution to the political earthquake is more style than substance, he’s shown us all that Americans are now placing a high value on honest and direct debate, trigger warnings be damned.
I’m a political centrist at heart and, to be sure, both of these guys make me very nervous. The good news is that the American political system is designed to keep our presidents from running wild and will hose down the next resident of the White House as needed.
But, to succeed, our political system needs clear ideas and honest debate about how our government can best help Americans live their American dream. Let’s take a moment from the hand-wringing and fretting to celebrate what America has already achieved in shaping the coming election — real ideas and frank discussion about shaping America’s future.
Maybe it’s all that hot air from global warming, but we are having some wild times in American political theatre. With each passing day, it looks more like Americans really wanted all that hope and change President Obama promised but didn’t deliver. Real changes, too, not just new wallpaper and curtains.
Presidential elections are supposed to catch our attention and this cycle has already offered wake-up calls to just about everyone involved in American politics. Decision-making begins in two weeks, and there’s a real possibility that, come November, our two choices for president will be an avowed socialist and a bizarre New York tycoon. Wow.
The seers of American politics have attributed this unlikely story line to “political polarization.” More than anytime in the last 70 years — maybe longer — the rhetoric streaming out of the Republican and Democratic parties reflects not only contrasting views of how government can shape society, but also vastly different underlying beliefs about what drives the human spirit in our quest for life, liberty and happiness.
Maybe that’s true, but I’m not buying that over-simplification as the force behind the ongoing earthquake in American politics. America is a complex nation and simple arrows directing our political beliefs to the left or right do the debate a disservice. This year, we are digging deeper. Americans are demanding a discussion about what “left” and “right” really mean.
These intense and substantive debates within the lefts and rights of American politics were not supposed to happen this year. Establishment Democrats had a Clinton coronation to go to and establishment Republicans had podiums full of candidates with nice suits and good resumes. Democrats had clever policies about solar panels and tax breaks that didn’t scare anybody and Republicans had plans for growing American business while scaring the crap out of the rest of the world with our unmatched military might. In other words, we were all about to be served “the usual” delivered with a large side of political correctness.
But, We the People who will be doing the voting aren’t having any of it. Nope, we want to hear how candidates plan to change America in ways that might actually allow us to realize our dreams. We want some meat to chew on.
On cue, Bernie Sanders enters on stage left and Donald Trump enters on stage right. Both of these guys have shattered the plans of their respective political establishments.
Bernie’s outright calls for class warfare and political revolution have revived the animal spirits of the Democratic Party and anyone listening has no doubt about how he plans to change America. Contrast Bernie’s willingness to put radical ideas squarely on the table with the airy-fairy Hope and Change on the Obama ’08 posters. Bernie has proposed socialized medical care and free higher education while advocating flat-out-no-apologies Robin Hood intentions to take from the rich and give to the poor. Easy to understand and no doubt that big changes would be forthcoming under President Sanders.
Donald, on the other hand, avoids getting lost in the details of what he might actually do if elected — probably a good thing given how scary he can be when he does get specific. However, his real contribution to the debate has been his sharp knife for carving out the heart of the political correctness plague that has raged in America for decades. The brash New Yorker seems to have tapped a vein of American culture that has reached their limit of not being able to say what they think, and he has captured many Americans’ favor by simply saying some of those things out loud. While Donald Trump’s contribution to the political earthquake is more style than substance, he’s shown us all that Americans are now placing a high value on honest and direct debate, trigger warnings be damned.
I’m a political centrist at heart and, to be sure, both of these guys make me very nervous. The good news is that the American political system is designed to keep our presidents from running wild and will hose down the next resident of the White House as needed.
But, to succeed, our political system needs clear ideas and honest debate about how our government can best help Americans live their American dream. Let’s take a moment from the hand-wringing and fretting to celebrate what America has already achieved in shaping the coming election — real ideas and frank discussion about shaping America’s future.