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13 February 2009

Fighting the Party, not Ideas


Maybe I am just fed up with the current US political system. It seems to me that people on "The Hill" aren't fighting the ideas they put forth, but rather just fighting each other. The basic core of their ideas seem so similar that I can't help but to think they are out of original ideas! In this day and age, the battle lines are clearly drawn strictly by political affiliation. And they don't even attack the ideas that are presented except on minute differences that have no real bearing on the overall gist of the idea. Instead they spew forth terms lie "The Democrats" or "The Republicans" without examining what it is that they are attempting to accomplish!

I see this as a symptom of what is really at the heart of the broken aspects of the two party system. There is no incentive to build a coalition. It's down to an all or nothing system. It's all the same ideas with different banners and bumper stickers. Perhaps the American public is satisfied with this?

I do tend to wax philosophical from time to time about the overall stupidity of the American public, and with them getting suckered in to this fight over slogans just seems to confirm my worst opinions of "people" in general. What I'd like to see are substantive debates on the ideas and issues, not window dressing cat-fights. And as George patton once said, "If everyone is thinking alike, no one is really thinking." It seems that they have sold off their intellectual capabilities for just attacking the other party because they are the other party, and nothing more.

If a candidate wants my vote, they must show several items, and none of them have any basis in any party. They need to first of all show intelligence! Some claim that being an elitist is a bad thing, but dammit, we are expecting this person to run the most powerful nation on earth. I damn well expect them to be elite! I don't want an average brain surgeon or average mechanic either. I want the best, and that should go for the President or any other elected official. I want them to be responsible. Not only in their actions, but for their ideas and mistakes. The idea of passing the buck has become so ingrained in today's society that it's almost startling when someone owns up as says they screwed up. I want them to exhibit some imagination! I think that's probably a deal breaker for most politicians. The inertia of doing things the same old way has totally stifled Washington.

Well, just my thoughts for today. What do you think?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree with you more. I have been so disenchanted with how this stimulus package has gotten passed. It saddens me that the house did not get one republican vote and only three in the senate. How does this happen anyway?? Are they scare to support a Democrat or just pissed that they lost the election. Mind you, I know that once Democrats got majority rule in the house in 2006, they stuck it to Bush, but at least there was some compromise...and I mean very little. I will have to go out on a limb here and say since the election of 2000 it has been an us and them menatility in Washington. But aren't we all Americans?? Don't we all love this country?? If it is broken fix it...and we are RIGHT NOW a broken country. For the last three or four months of the Bush term he just sat there..doing NOTHING! Oh, wait, he did pass that huge bailout bill for the banks.. I don't know about you, but there is no way I could get a loan right now..not even to fix my car or buy a new car! I hear my republican friends say "tax cuts" and I want to throw up all over them. I have begun to equate tax cuts to class warfare...don't we have to have jobs before we can give a tax cut to someone...what good is a tax cut when you can't even pay you rent or your electric bill. In the past week I have learned that a good friend of mine has lost his six figure salary job...and they just bought a new house over the summer and they are not able to sell the old one. And one of my best friends was just taken off of salary because they don't have any work so now he is only working two days at half the pay. What good is a tax cut for these people and the people like them???

I know, you are wondering..did she really respond to my blog?? Did she get what I was saying?? Yes, Steve, I did just in my own ranting way!! Bipartisianship is from the past and I could really care less at this exact moment...we need to get this country back on track and if we have to do that without the other party than so be it!!

Unknown said...

Ami! Thank you so much for reading my silly blog. I really appreciate.

Aye, you are pretty much spot on. For a second there, it was as if you were channeling Brooke, she said nearly the exact same thing recently, which is what prompted this post.

And yes, sometimes it feels good just to rant a bit!