No Mr. President, the only thing holding us back is not politics.
Pol•i•tics |'pälǝˌtiks|
noun
Politics (from Greek πολιτικός, "of, for, or relating to citizens"), is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. -wikipedia
You've come to the wrong place on Pennsylvania Avenue if you are looking to escape politics. First off.
Traveling to small towns and farm towns in the heartland of this country, there you will find politics. Whether it be small business owners in Guttenberg, Iowa or ranchers and farmers in Peosta, there too you have politics. Having lunch with veterans in Cannon Falls, Minnesota you can't escape politics. Plant workers and seed distributors in Atkinson, Illinois you will also find politics. For the girls volleyball team in Maquoketa you can be sure of it - politics - at least in nascent forms. Go Cardinals!
If you're out there, Mr. President, for one reason - so that Washington D.C. can learn something from the folks of Atkinson and Peosta and Cannon Falls, and that our country could be a whole lot better off if our elected leaders showed the same kind of discipline and integrity and responsibility that most Americans demonstrate in their lives every single day, then what you are doing is politics. You might add a fourth virtue to your list and include a smidgeon of honesty.
But if you are being honestly naive, and are unaware of the primacy of politics in making collective decisions then God help this country.
Because the fact is, we are going through a tough time right now. We're coming through a terrible recession realizing the terrible recession is about to get a whole lot worse. A lot of folks are joining the folks still looking for work. A lot of people are getting by on smaller paychecks, no more unemployment benefits or less money for health care. So we need folks in Washington, the people whose job it is to deal with the country's problems, the people who we elected to serve, we need them to put aside their nonsense and maybe not their differences, to get things done.
But maybe that train has left the station. The last train for the coast.
See, politics is all about differences between folks. Collective decision making does not mean homogeneous assent. On a national level, in our nation's capital, the folks in Washington like you sir have interests. They come to Washington to serve those interests. You may think that is un-American. But the people who funded your campaigns and the people who elected you have interests too. Are they un-American for refusing to put aside their interests?
As down home and folksy as you're campaign for a second term is becoming, I should think you'd be aware of the past 30 years and how the stereotype of the Heartland of America has been employed in the service of...politics. As late as last week, Mr. President, we witnessed a new permutation in the fetishing of the Corn Dog. Not that there's anything wrong in seeking out "real" Americans and the hardworking midwesterners in their natural habitat, nothing wrong at all especially in the service of politics. But to deliver such a lame appeal that we've heard maybe a dozen times in the past three months about the evil of politics while politicking seems to me a bit incongruent. The integrity takes a hit. And the consistency of the speech begins to resemble grits.
Remember, politics is as American as apple pie. And it's made right here in America . These are common sense observations. Convictions that are shared by Democrats and Republicans alike. The only thing keeping you from realizing what you were elected to do is...your desire to be above the collective decisions. Politics.
The only thing preventing the passage of your ideas is the refusal by some in Congress to pass your ideas. Politics.
See, this isn't about the "Country". Country above party (and in turn, interests) is a myth. A myth served with a corn dog and washed down with lemonade. Even on this site, this private blog community, it's all about party first (electing democrats - at least that's what Kos says its about), then Country. We know as much when it comes to local politics here.
I dare say things might've been too easy for you on the road to the White House. Politically speaking. That's the problem we have right now. That's what's holding this country back. That's what we have to change.
Little kids with American flags. Grandparents in lawnchairs. I'm not sure that's what change meant three years back. Maybe thirty years back we went Back to the Future. But we've had those images for quite some time along with the handshakes outside of machine shops and churches. And maybe it reminds you of why you got into public service in the first place but more and more I'm less sure of why I supported and voted for you to begin with. Not because you do politics but because you attempt to excuse your politics. And believe you can get what you want - which of course is what the Country wants if your a politician - without politics.
There in Alpha, if it's that clear, if you believe that that's coming together, that's putting differences aside and there's no stopping America and there's no doubt that our future is bright, then God help this country. Because this isn't "Morning in America". That only comes after the long dark night in America. And you ain't Ronald Reagan. And the only way our country gets put ahead of party and the only way we put aside our differences is through politics.
And if that's not clear, you don't belong in Washington D.C. let alone the White House. And that will become clear enough soon enough if you're already done with
Politics.
