We have no Government. All we have is politics.
A never ending ideological battle is not government. Obstructing debate is not government. Manufacturing crises is not government. Campaigning is not government. Government is not about being in office. These things are politics and they prevent government.
Refusing to act on climate change, selling out the interests of masses of people to favor narrow interests, allowing crimes on a massive scale to go unpunished, pursuing harmful economic policies, or making discriminatory laws is government, but it’s not good government. Bad government doesn’t serve the interests of our nation in the short or long term nor provide for the general welfare.
People interested in government, in practical and efficient government, would have no problem resolving the issues facing our nation. It’s like the commercial where firemen ran the government… “Clean water: all in favor? Opposed? It’s unanimous!” It’s not complicated. Politics make it so.
Politics, at least in our country, is where the narrow interests are allowed their out-sized influence. It's an elaborate show. It’s how incompetents and buffoons are installed in our capitol to provide the government they’re paid to and to hell with the rest of us. It’s where government is sold out from under us. It has nothing to do with debating competing ideas or the will of the people. In the US today politics serves only politics and it’s got a huge industry built around it.
But our government isn’t an industry. Our government is us. It’s supposed to be of for and by us. Not of for and by politicians. Politics keeps our government too tied up to get around to seeing to our interests, and we’re all suffering for it.