Has America Been Duped? Adieu, democracy

Have we been duped by politicians for all of these years when they tell us that we are selecting our presidential nominees via primaries and caucuses and then later electing the one that the majority of Americans want to lead America forward? Politicians say no.

They tell us that each political party has long selected the nominee. What they do not tell us is that primary elections exist just to make voters think that we are making the selection, when in reality the party is, and that our selection will stand only if the nominee comes from a pool of candidates that that party feels is worth considering, is worthy to hold the office and stands the best chance of winning in the general election.

Party leaders do this by way of election rules that are so convoluted that very few of their party members understand them and likely many of those who think that they do, do not completely comprehend them. To make matters worse, party leaders by rule allow themselves to adjust these rules at anytime (in the event that the voters’ choice does not meet with their approval) in an effort to assure that a nominee who meets their approval is selected.

My criticism is not to say that this way of doing things is totally unacceptable because I believe that it was originally put into place to prevent voters who are passionate about our democratic system but have become angry and disillusioned by American politics from making kneejerk decisions that could put America on a path from which it might not be able to recover. But, instead, I point this problem out because our system can always be improved upon and we should always be seeking ways to do exactly that.  Times change and we should always be watchful and make real-time adjustments to our system to address that change.  If we do not, we will be run over by it.

Besides, I do not have the slightest inkling of a better system to replace the current one with that would address the nuances of preventing our country from traveling down an ill-fated path from which it might not be able to return while at the same time giving American voters the autonomy to select our leaders that each of us desires and demands.

My mind was jolted into reflecting on how the DNC and RNC handle the stewarding of America’s elections and recalling tidbits of things that I learned long ago about transactional and transformational management/leadership styles by an article that I read in The New York Times. The article was entitled How to Fix Politics and it was written by David Brooks.  Click on the title if you would like to read it.  Anyway, both transactional and transformational styles of management/leadership are needed; the challenge comes in knowing which style is needed and when it is needed.

At this point, American voters seem to be either completely disillusioned by or totally fed up with their party’s transactional management/leadership style of interacting with them. ‘Change’ is here and it is demanding to be recognized.  If it is not recognized then those who refuse to recognize it will be run over by it.

The Republican Party is the first party in America’s two-party system that has obviously been adversely affected and, as a result, invoked voters’ demand for change. This should come as no surprise to any of us since the Republican Party long ago hitched its fortune to extreme right-wing media like Fox News and many right-wing radio talk shows.

Although it has been the recipient of abundant political benefits as the result of this decision, the Republican Party is now fracturing under the strain of a populist rebellion whose roots can easily be traced to extreme right-wing media. This rebellion, if not properly handled, could bring about the demise of the party.  Even if it is effectively handled, at the least, it is likely to set back the party for years to come.

Democracy is messy. And since there seems to be no empirical rules that can be established to completely address all of the nuances that are a part of it and the change that it constantly generates; as voters, we must educate ourselves on politics at least to the point of gaining a general understanding of the power corridors that exist and how to leverage our power.  Since most Americans have neither the time nor desire to try to decipher democracy’s nuances and constant change to ensure that politicians do not abuse their power and dupe us, we should use our power to elect honorable politicians who will do that for us.  Even if we do this, there are no guarantees that things will become better.  But if we do not do it, the odds are very high in favor of things remaining the same or getting worse.

Our democracy requires constant nurturing and our democratic system requires constant monitoring and, when required, tweaking. In order to do these things all Americans must get involved and stay involved in keeping America strong and making it even better than it is now.  Those of us who are of voting age must not become frustrated with the system and give up.

We must instead continue to engage in American politics and make our voices heard while at the same time using our vote to put and keep politicians in office who possess good judgment and who will use that judgment to determine how, when, and for how long to use transactional management/leadership versus transformational management/leadership in interacting with all of their constituents including voters. And as each of us reflects on all of these things and ponder our civic responsibilities as voters, always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line