Every Father’s Day, I remember one distinct childhood memory that has guided me for the rest of my life.
I was complaining about something trivial. My mom, stopping me, asked me one of the most memorable questions I have ever been asked. “Think about your dad,” she said. “Have you ever heard him complain about anything?”
I was stunned. I could not call to mind a single time. My dad was a self-proclaimed optimist, often wearing a hat with the phrase “half-full.” His wisdom has stayed with me for years.
We tend to complain a lot about politics. There is an incredible amount of pessimism that persists in every discussion. We perceive Congress and our government to be a constant source of pointless bickering, trickery, and sycophancy. To a point, we may be right. Sometimes, however, I think those in public service deserve more credit.
At present, we are in the midst of a dismal period of our faith in government. Americans are expressing less confidence in Congress than ever before, Gallup reports.
The problem with these sentiments is that they form an easy justification for political disinterest. After all, why bother getting involved in changing our political systems if they are inherently corrupt? When we accept this tempting mindset, we only succeed in fulfilling our fears.
Take, for example, the common statement, “politicians only care about reelection.” At first glance, it seems to imply a selfish arrogance, a vain pursuit for glory rather than the common good. While this may be true for some elected officials, it also follows that the most powerful weapon to influence their beliefs becomes us, as constituents.
My friends who work on the Hill tell me stories of how congressmen are swayed by their constituents. Every phone call is answered, every letter is opened. Why? Because, above all, politicians need to get reelected, and that means they need to accurately represent the members of their districts.
In order to hold them to this duty, it is our responsibility, as voters, to stay informed. If we do not bother to keep up with current events, inform our representatives of our beliefs, or vote them out when they do not keep their promises, how can we criticize them for not accurately representing us? Perhaps we do not give enough credit to the men and women who work long hours in a comparatively low-paying occupation to stand up for their principles and those of their constituents.
However, this does not imply we should rely on our government to be the solution of all problems. Many government programs, built upon a foundation of good intentions, have resulted in worsening the conditions they set out to remedy. We can maintain a healthy skepticism of government programs without giving in completely to distrust and apathy.
Former Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) served in the House of Representatives for 20 years. Even today, he has not lost his hope. When asked whether Americans should still be optimistic about politics, he responds,
“There are a lot of challenges in our democracy today, but the best proof that not all is wrong is that our immigration problem isn’t that millions of Americans are trying to leave our country for good. It’s that millions of people from throughout the world would do almost anything, including risking their lives, in order to come to our country to appreciate our freedoms and opportunities.”
My father always told me the glass is “half-full.” Instead of despair and loud complaining to fire Congress, let’s work toward appreciating the men and women in public service while still holding them accountable by staying involved.
Danny Huizinga | Baylor University | @HuizingaDanny
Post-post-script. If my father had thought of and lived up to his famous last words, “If only we’d been franker in our talks,” a lot sooner, he’d have started saying to me when I was about five years ago, “What makes you so sure of yourself, my fine feathered friend?”
I’d have replied, “Well, okay, but I know what I see.” And he’d have said, “By God, you’re right.” And everything would have turned out differently.
Let me add a possibly actually interesting postscript to my remarks. We were at the Syrian border for a week, where some of our National Guard engineers were fortifying a police post with dirt berms. Syria looks just like Iraq. Do you read me, over?
Iran just had a presidential election. The Supreme Leader or his crew gets to choose the candidates to some extent. In the US, it is the party system and money that gets to choose the presidential candidates. Yet voters in the polling booths have the final say. I think the voters always do the best they can with what they’re offered. Obama, for example, seemed to me, on a “seat of the pants” basis of judgment, fractionally more competent than Romney and a percent or two more competent than McCain, just as the vote totals suggested. But that wasn’t saying much. Our big enemies, supposedly, around the world, in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Russia, China, always look so much more competent to me in their photographs.
So it’s the step before the election that needs analysis.
“…, above all, politicians need to get reelected, and that means they need to accurately represent the members of their districts.”
It seems this is not correct: that what they accurately represent are the power machines that generate the nominees. If you own all the horses in the horse race, you’re going to win.
“Appreciate” means “put a price on”. It doesn’t mean “lie to yourself about”.
“The squeaking wheel gets the grease.” Why does a wheel squeak? What happens if it doesn’t get greased? Have you ever seen a wheel hub glowing red-orange in the dawn’s early light because you’ve been driving down the road in rural Iraq with the mobile kitchen trailer’s brakes stuck on, because someone hooked up the air lines backwards? Who? If we’d had a functional chain of command, we’d have had a specific someone whose job it was to make sure the air lines were hooked up right.
Accountability to the facts can be circumvented by a powerful political machine, but the political entrepreneur, the enterprising politician, who manages to bring those facts to the attention of the voting public in the polling booth should win through.
Take an example: the Global War On Terror, now entering nations all around the earth. I’d cancel it, jot, tittle, done. Back to business as usual: military: defend; CIA: gather information.