You Mean “You”

When we talk about Democratic or Republicans politicians, we are talking about ourselves. We elected them. We selected those representatives from the nation’s population and promoted them to their office, step-by-step. And when we rant about the important (to us) things that they don't do, their corruption, they're incompetence, or their positive qualities, we are talking about ourselves. That is the most obvious thing about representative governments, they represent us. We are most certainly getting the governments we deserve: locally, state-wide, and nationally.

The worst of us—the racists, the violent bad actors, the criminally insane, the privileged and idle rich, the con artists, and the entitled and lazy white middle class who imagine they should also be rich and powerful—are getting exactly the government they want and when that goes bad, as it always does, they will blame “the libs” for their failures. The “far right,” “fascists” to anyone with a lick of reality-based intelligence, has always been happy to break anything that can be broken. Deluded by their grossly inflated self-image, they imagine that anything that smart people can build can be rebuilt better by fools.

The best of us are, as always, better than humanity’s best have ever been. As  Isaac Newton put it, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Some how, defending those values has inspired people like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tina Smith, Ilhan Omar, and the dozens of (all Democrats) national and state politicians who are on Donald Trump’s “enemies list.” Our best have taken the rarely met ideals of this country and humanity and have tried to push the bar higher in hopes of a nation that actually provides “liberty and justice for all” and provides that kind of model to the world to make this tiny planet a better, safer, and more sustainable place. It is an honorable battle, but probably a lost cause.

Why would an exceptional person run for political office in this country? I can't answer that question. I don't have a clue. We are a despicable lot, on average. When exceptional people end up in public service, they are making an incredible sacrifice. And for the most part, few of us appreciate that. Worse, for the most part, few of us deserve it. How can an empire continue to exist with flam-throwers everywhere and so few defenders? Obviously, it can’t. And, so far, none in history have managed that fatal internal battle. As always, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

It is hard not to be cynical in the face of wall-to-wall cynicism, greed, stupidity, and what appears to be species suicide.