The American Moment Of Clarity & The Cost of It Coming Too Late...
December 14th 2008 17:32
"Traveling through the world produces a marvelous clarity in the judgment of men. We are all of us confined and enclosed within ourselves, and see no farther than the end of our nose. This great world is a mirror where we must see ourselves in order to know ourselves. There are so many different tempers, so many different points of view, judgments, opinions, laws and customs to teach us to judge wisely on our own, and to teach our judgment to recognize its imperfection and natural weakness."
~ Michel de Montaigne (French Philosopher and Writer. 1533-1592)
~ Michel de Montaigne (French Philosopher and Writer. 1533-1592)
As I modify this quote to this week's conversation, I do so with the knowledge and understanding of the vast amounts of tempers, different points of view, judgments, opinions, laws and customs within the borders of our great nation.
I regress back to the conversation I brought to the table during the weeks of Election "08" because America simply isn't "getting it" and the more I seek to understand why this is so, I am forced to come back to the same answers that continue to berate me on a daily basis….
As a society we lack understanding beyond "the end of our noses" and have been herded into mob mentality in political thought and understanding. Issues that tug on our heart strings have been segregated into blue and red groups forcing us to choose a side and demonize the other well beyond any particular election season.
Social issues like abortion, standard of living, racism and sexism have been lobbed around like missiles tearing our nation apart to the benefit of one party or the other. The outcome of this war on original ideas of how a man or woman should lead this nation has been reduced to statements like, "He hangs around with Terrorists" or "It's a political party of gun toting racists".
News Flash…
Racism reaches across the aisle, as well as those who support gun rights along with differing opinions ..ion and other social issues. The problem isn't with the people who had past misdeeds of terrorism or racism supporting a political party nor is it people who have made the personal decision to support the causes of being pro life or pro choice. Our societal issues come to the forefront when we allow political czars to dictate the conversation for us in a spirit of division.
If a man or woman has the ability to bring Americans together, lead, inspire and rebuild our nation on the fundamentals our forefathers set for us, there is no reason why they should be put through a litmus test of fitting the party guidelines to make sure they fit within the square pegs of Democratic or Republican Party expectation.
These "square pegs" require a person to jump through unnecessary hoops of being pro-life or pro-choice, Gun Rights or Gun restrictions, Pro Industry or Pro Environmental, Pro Small Towne America or Pro Large Towne America and the list goes on and on and on.
The rules of being qualified to lead is no longer about experience, judgment or character but is rather how well a man or woman can please their party base to be allowed to have opportunity to take center stage in representation of one of the two big parties.
There has to come a simple moment of clarity for America to realize how deep our country is engulfed in the BS of the system we have allowed to perpetrate around us.
Not only has this two party system diluted the debate between two people who are trying to show why he or she would be the best leader based on their merits and judgment but it has also caused the gridlock and partisan arguments that allowed the special interests to play both sides in causing our economic melt down.
Political scandals are no longer about the misdeeds of men or women who break the sacred trust given to them by the people but has transformed into conversations of Democratic and Republican associations that come with the price of seeking an Office of National leadership and responsibility.
When I think back to words of Colin Powell this past week about the future of the Republican Party I am both enlightened and saddened in hearing a man I admire and respect talk about the state of the two party system without addressing the larger issue.
Going beyond the mislabeled headline from a biased media, the fundamental misguided argument of small town vs. large town America needs to be readdressed.
While the fundamentals of the Republican party is still strong with the core argument being for America to focus on reducing the size of our national Government and it's influence into the lives of the average American. It's the radical base of God & Guns politics that reduced a political maverick centered on independence and reaching across the aisle into a man who overreached for party acceptance that needs to change within the party.
Palinisticly changing the argument into small town America being morally better than large town America or enacting a plan to alienate small town American values because the votes are elsewhere simply avoids the problems within our government.
The problem has been and always will be within the fact that radical left wing and right wing individuals within both parties have and always will pull the puppet strings of the candidates they allow to represent their interests in our modern political era.
While I have been anxiously awaiting the totality of Barack Obama's cabinet to form before supplying commentary, I have also been quietly laughing to myself with the media and public perception of the "Lincolnesque" choices he has made thus far.
While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may have been fierce political adversaries let us not forget that they did oppose each other under the same blue banner and at the end of the day they report back to the same political brain trusts.
While I am pleased with the lack of radically left political influences within the President-Elects cabinet I am also not jumping off the ceilings with bold statements about his bi partisan effort to rebuild the Executive Branch.
For Barack Obama to truly be the Bi Partisan force the media is making him out to be he needs to do more than just have lunch with his true political adversary in John McCain. Beyond the fact that McCain now has the Scarlett letter of Republican failure branded on his chest it would still be a symbol that Obama can go back to the things he remarked on in his early speeches in the statement of wanting to see an America that doesn't see herself divided in the colors of Red & Blue.
The facts are simple and daunting…
There is too much power within in the left and right bases for true change to happen.
It took the Democrats 31 years to finally "get it" and allow a fresh face to represent their party to victory on the simple platform of getting the people behind his message on more than a political level.
While Democratic Presidents have served for a total of 12 years during this red time period, the situations of the time either had them elected on public anger in response to corruption on the highest level or as a reaction to ebbs and sways of the market in a sleek electoral campaign where the Democrats mirrored there Republican adversaries.
While everyone wants to bury the Republican Party and call for the end of conservative values as archaic and a time capsule in American History, my hope isn't in a transformation of the Democratic or Republican party but rather for those moderates who have seen, felt and heard enough of the radical forces within their own parties to take that leap and break up the two party juggernaut.
But hey that's just me…
Next Blog 12/20
These Things happened they were glorious and changed the world….
Then we ****** Up the end game….
~ Charlie Wilson (Former United States Naval Officer and Former Democratic United States Representative From The 2nd Congressional District In Texas)
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