Ok, fair enough. In my mind, the single biggest issue we face as a nation is not the economy, terrorists, or immigration. It is divisive politics and divisive politicians.
We need to get back to the point where politicians actually sought out solutions. And how do we do that?
Well, remember the business adage that we forgot in the late 90s - a corporation will act in its own self interest. It's like the old story about the woman who found the injured snake, and nursed it back to health. When it was healthy and bite her, she cried as she was dying: "Why?!". The snake replied: "you knew what I was when you picked me up".
Corporations and politicians are snakes. They have their own agendas that rarely coincide with their customers. Therefore, it is imperative that we 1) realize that fact, 2) protect ourselves.
With corporations, we've discovered the hard way: Republican ideology that a deregulation will help the economy is fatally wrong. When deregulated, corporations revert to their old self-interest ways. We need to regulate corporations so that they will know and understand that their self interest includes not screwing their customers and breaking laws, because that would incur severe penalties.
Same with politicians. The Bush years have brought entirely too much secrecy, partisanship, use of fear to control people, innuendo and smears to retain power. Our government works best with there is transparency into how and why decisions are made. To place a veil over policy in the name of national security is one of the greatest scourges of our times. When that veil is lifted, we often find that the reason for the secrecy was not national security, but a desire to gather and maintain power.
John McCain had a good chance - more than a good chance - to lead us back to the days when we knew what the government was up to, and when we didn't, there was always some reporter or brave whistleblower to sound the alarm. He squandered that opportunity when he embraced the very tactics of that era - the Rovian lies, the 'Country Second' VP choice - when he saw his chances slipping. So close to the brass ring, and he failed - whether he wins the election or not.
Obama has demonstrated an ability to get people to work together, ever since the days when he was elected to President of the Harvard Law Review. He was an unlikely candidate, but what put him over the top was when the conservative bloc of editors threw their support behind him. Why? Because Obama had demonstrated the ability to listen, and work with all sides, and they thought that they would get a fair shake.
Since then, Obama has steadfastly maintained that America is a place where we can disagree respectfully. For that, he has been lambasted by the Rovian right, for they sense that their days are numbered. They call him an elitist, though he came from a very modest background. They call him inexperienced, then tout a candidate who has much less national experience. They call him empty, though he brings a message of hope and change that is sorely needed. When that message of hope resonates with millions, they label him a false messiah, and his followers cultists.
We cannot change unless we make a change. McCain lost that chance when he caved to the extremists. Obama rejected his extremists, rejected those who called for a Rovian campaign from the left, rejected the embrace of the evil he has vowed to eradicate. He can be the uniter we were promised eight long years ago. |
