I don't know what grade they teach children today about our two-party system, but for me, it was 6th grade. Mr. Ebert, my teacher, probably wishes that he had never brought it up at all, because I peppered him with "why" questions like a two-year-old might. Why just two parties? Why not three? Why have them at all? Why why why?
What I meant to ask, but couldn't at the time, was, "Do we really believe that the entire country can be divided into two political ideologies? Isn't that dangerously simplistic?"
There is still a part of me - varying in size by my mood - that believes very much like I did in 6th grade social studies class: that the two-party system is a good idea gone bad, that the "us" versus "them" mentality only serves to paralyze the political process, not empower it.
And so it is with memories of 6th grade that I responded today to a friend who asked me in a one-sentence email,
"Why are you a Democrat?"
Perhaps you'll see a little of yourself in my rambling and disjointed response. Perhaps not.
Why am I a Democrat? First, let me clarify this:
I am first a human being. I am a son, a brother, an uncle and a significant other. I am an American. And then I am a Democrat. I make the distinction because if I was a Democrat first, I doubt that I could get through a day without sobbing for the current state of our country.
My views are not shaped by my political affiliation. Instead, I choose my political affiliation because of my views. I think that alone would distinguish me as a Democrat.
These views have changed and evolved over time. I allow them to change, because I was always taught that personal growth can't occur without mental flexibility.
But today, this is what I believe.
I believe that not all Republicans are bad, and not all Democrats are good. Decency and indecency don't divide along party lines. To wit, I've forgiven my mother (just recently) for voting for George Bush.
I value small government and fiscal responsibility. And I don't believe Republicans own the market on those values. In another time, perhaps, but not today.
I believe in a woman's right to choose, and I hope that whenever possible, she chooses to engage the father in the discussion. Either way, I support her decisions without judging them.
I believe that religion has no place in politics. Common morality, common sense and common decency do.
Gays should be allowed to marry, and we should be prepared to embrace the triumphs and tribulations that accompany that right.
I don't believe in capital punishment or corporal punishment, but I especially don't believe in the "I've given up on you" message that each communicates.
All that being said, I'm not nearly as interested in a Democratic Congress as I am in an honest, productive and truly representative Congress. But I believe strongly that the former begets the ladder, especially where integrity is concerned.
I always try to temper my enthusiasm for the latest Republican scandal by reminding myself that in the process, someone likely got hurt or killed. A soldier died. A teenager was violated. A single mom went another day without health insurance. I don't revel in incompetence. I mock it occasionally, but I don't revel.
Accordingly, I believe that George W. Bush governs not with malice, but with a childlike sense of entitlement. On any given today, I can be convinced that either one of them is more dangerous than the other.
I think the intoxication of power has the Republican Party perpetually drunk, and subsequently, impaired.
Detox, I'm guessing, starts in about 36 days.
That's what I believe. That's who I am. And that's why I'm a Democrat.
I guess I could've answered more simply, "Because I'm paying attention, that's why!" But then 6th grade entered my mind.
I haven't heard back yet. I'll let you know if I do.