Of course, I found my remembrance of this quote quite pertinent considering the recent changes in the political climate since the election and inauguration of President Obama. As I stopped and meditated on this quote, several things came to mind. I began thinking about both the Republican and Democratic parties and their evolution over the past 50 years from Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and JFK. For both parties, there has been a time of success and a time of failure. But as I look at our parties today, I see nothing in comparison to what once was.
Today, Democrats are a bunch of squabbling 60's hippies that should have paid more attention to what the President during the time of their birth said. It's not about big government; it's about citizenship. Democrats can't seem to get it in their head what a DEMOCRACY stands for. Democracy is a political system that states that the people have the voice and that their voice is channeled through who they vote for in periodic, free elections. It's not about the people speaking and the elect ignoring. It's about the elect leading by serving their voters, districts, and states.
Likewise, Republicans are a cornucopia of reptiles. Their influence and power has been diminished by their inability to act as cohesive unit, until as of late. Pre-election Republicanism was more about bi-partisanship and less about their duties as elected representatives by the people. Bi-partisanship can not work when the Democrats say the people have the voice and the Republicans assert that their work is as a representative of the people.
To me, true Republicanism and true Democracy is lost. They do not exist as workable political parties in America today. What I suggest is that there will be two new formations within the American political arena if politics continue to progress as they are now. The Republicans will split into Moderates and Conservatives. While they may or may not keep the name Republican, this is really not important. The Democrats will continue on their course and become the Socialist Party (with full backing by the Communist Party, of course). Eventually, the Moderates will be weeded out by both parties until the Conservative Party and the Socialist Party will be left. The Independent Party should still be around, though it will still be a minority. There will be some Democrats and Republicans who will not be Conservative or Social in thought and will fly to the Independents.
JFK knew that as a Democrat, and as an elected representative of Democratic ideals, it was not about big government. Both Democrats and Republicans at their roots can agree that both parties were not founded with this in mind, at least when adhering to a straightforward definition of the terms. Some would say that since Roosevelt, the Democratic party has always been about an aggressive government. I would argue that this would not be the case. Aside from the New Deal which expanded the size of the government, there has not been an increase like the New Deal until the proposed increases by Mr. Obama. While Democrats today agree that the government can bail us out, they fundamentally disagree with the core of Democracy with their assertions. It's not what "your country can do for you". It never has been. When a call to arms is issued, who answers? When new jobs are created in the private sector, who submits applications?
The parties of America should not be concerned with bi-partisanship. It is up to Americans to decide their fate and to decide their future. Both Republicans and Democrats have fought, bled, and died in wars. Both Whig's and Tory's bled and died in the Revolutionary War. Our nation is built on the blood of those with the common determination and drive to ensure the safety and protection of America and her citizens.
"We the people" are not the "Yes we can" 's that Mr. Obama, Madame Speaker Pelosi, and their ragtag cabinet of Socialist politicians would have us all believe we are. We are not the puppets on the end of the string. "We the People" are the foundation. "We the People" decide what should do be done for our country's best interest. We are the masters of the puppets in Washington. It is our voice that is stronger than theirs. We are America. Diverse. Proud. And "We the People" will not stop. It's time to wake up, Conservatives. It's time to take our stand. I will not stand by and let my country become the next greatest Socialist superpower after the USSR and the People's Republic of China. Will you?
The problem is that misinformed people and strong liberals are outnumbering the conservatives now. I know because, well, look who's in the white house right now?
ReplyDeleteSo not "We the People" as in all of us, but "We the Majority of the People". And if this is what the majority of the people want, whether that is actually their views or if they're just on the bandwagon or if they just like the sound of change, they will get what they want.
The truth is that there is not a perfect government, and there won't be a situation where the government makes every one happy.
And the truth is that the world is liberal. America is one of the most conservative countries out there, and you see how liberal we are. Almost every where you go, conservatives will be outnumbered, but that is how the views of the world are changing.
So I'm gonna counter you a bit, but its not because I am a socialist or a huge fan of Obama. I am a fairly moderate individual who tends towards conservatism, but I have enough respect for Obama to not caricature him as a "raging socialist" who is going to turn our nation into the next USSR.
ReplyDeleteI think you have misunderstood the political history of the United States. The party names Republican and Democrat have, at least as far as I understand them, almost nothing to do with the philosophical ideas of Republicanism (government by representation) or Democracy (government by the people). If they ever did have such a significance, those issues have long ago been settled- America is a "Democratic Republic"- we have universal suffrage, but we elect our representatives. Democrats aren't trying to move us toward more direct democracy any more than Republicans are trying to strengthen the representative nature of our government.
What we have seen in this recent election though is a significant reaction against a particular trend in our modern politics. The people have felt as though their elected representatives of the last eight years have largely ignored their concerns and instead promoted their own agenda, pursuing policies the overwhelming majority of Americans have opposed. Obama's election, if it sends any political message, says that the American people are not ok with their government ignoring their wishes and concerns.
Keep in mind that America is not, and has never been, a conservative country. If it were, we would still be colonies of the British empire. The Revolution and framing of the American Constitution is one of the most liberal events in Western history! As are the ideas of free speech and press that allow us to have this discussion. "Conservative" in American terms has generally meant someone who adheres to "classical economics" or holds conservative social values. Even those meanings have changed drastically in recent history- FDR's new deal was liberal in economic terms, but I know of virtually no conservatives (in politics) today who are willing to openly suggest abolishing all welfare. Incidentally, LBJ also significantly widened the New Deal (so Obama isn't the first since FDR), and several other presidents have made modifications or additions to it (I think even Reagan expanded the Welfare State). In terms of social values, its only been in response to relatively recent events like the Scopes Monkey Trial and the social turmoil of the 60's that our contemporary conception of social conservatism has come to be.
So all this to say this: I'm not a liberal, but I think many conservatives have oversimplified things. Cultures change, philosophy changes, our understandings of things change. We can't extrapolate our present day models back in history and say this is how things always were. Neither can we grab hold of a past model and say this is how things always should be. We have to pay attention to what changes around us and be willing to adapt our views and thoughts based on what we learn.