The political tide of discontent flows again

September 9, 2010 by Samuel Powers 

Closer margins in Congress might bring compromise

With midterm elections around the corner, Republicans seem poised to recapture many congressional seats and perhaps the majority in both houses.

Public sentiment has gravitated towards Republicans, who have been quick — premature even — to trumpet the ineffectiveness of the stimulus and other Obama administration policies.

Since President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Republicans have been in lock step to prevent Democrats from accomplishing nearly anything.

The economic stimulus package was staunchly denied by Republicans, despite the fragile state of the economy and the fact that a large portion of the stimulus was comprised of tax cuts.

The term “tax cuts” seems to have a magical, hypnotizing effect on Republicans until, apparently, Democrats are the ones who propose cuts.

Tax cuts have long been heralded by Republicans as the most effective stimulus the country can serve.

“Trickle-down economics,” as it’s called, is the idea that cutting the heavy taxes on corporations and the wealthy elite will eventually “trickle down” to us poorer folk to spend on beer and nachos and will start a cyclical stimulus.
Instead, such policies make low- and middle-income families feel trickled on.

Voting against tax cuts and the stimulus, congressional Republicans seemed to be willing to sacrifice the economy to gain a couple seats this election cycle. On the brink of irreparable economic disaster, Republicans simply folded their arms and turned their backs on the American people.

That’s not leadership; that’s pouting on the bench and not playing ball simply because the Republicans weren’t starters.
“Just Say No” is evocative of Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug campaign, but has now been adopted by Republicans as their primary political strategy.

For their part, Democrats appear eager to cut their losses and write this year off. With enthusiasm on their side, Republicans will gain enough seats to have a more powerful voice.

Unfortunately, though, the filibuster will no longer be their solution to most legislation. I think we’re on the verge of something greater than a waxing of Republicans in Congress.

I think we’re on the verge of witnessing real, genuine compromise. Perhaps we won’t be able to identify the compromise when it occurs, because it’s such a rarity.

The sad truth is that, facing the most severe economic disaster since the Great Depression and having been engaged in two wars for the last decade, both Democrats and Republicans have continued to feud and have failed to perform their main objective in Washington — serving the American people.

And that appears to be the biggest impetus behind voting any direction this year — discontent with both sides’ refusal to put politics aside for the sake of the American people.

It’s a great campaign line and serves as good rhetoric, but we have witnessed neither Democrats nor Republicans actually putting their political ambitions and petty in-fighting aside to accomplish the monumental political shift that this country needs and deserves.

The United States is greatly divided politically.

While functioning with such division is what makes democracy great, the country is so paralyzed by political polarization that our democracy resembles more of an elementary school sandbox squabble with only two sides and a line drawn down the middle.

I think most Americans are ready to put politics aside to better our country. We don’t need to agree on every issue, but we need to respect each other and our differences. We need to be willing to make actual sacrifices.

Perhaps not every piece of legislation will have our support, but if the majority decides upon it, we need to let democracy operate as intended and let the majority make those decisions. After all, we can’t filibuster elections.