No matter who ends up being president on January 20, 2013 -- whether it is Barack Obama or Mitt Romney -- Americans will still be dense enough to look at the executive branch to be the apt problem solver, even if neither have a chance with a more polarized Congress.
I read a column on Politico by Charles Mathesian and Tim Vandehei about the increasing polarization of Congress, which makes note of the decline of moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats in favor for both parties gravitating towards being ideological political machines. They cited an argument posed by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal that Congress is becoming partisan as all hell (as we all know) and it's getting worse.
However, this post will not necessarily be only about the increasing partisan nature of Congress -- it will be about, however, the decline of moderate politics.
It represents a quandary for both Obama or Romney, considering that they're both attempting to move towards the center to please others on the other side of their respective political spectrum.
After running a primary campaign where he attempted to present himself as conservative as any other grand ol' Republican, Romney is starting his push towards the center as he aims to move on from a contentious primary season, fighting off former Reagan conservative heir apparent Newt Gringrich, hard-right conservative Rick Santorum, and soon-to-be fought off libertarian Ron Paul. Romney will present himself right leaning moderate to position himself better against independents, who have shown to generally vote more Democrat. (I'm guessing the Republican Party realized the need for a moderate, considering it is no secret that the GOP brass wishes for Romney to be the nominee).
Obama, on the other hand, has made a slew of Faustian deals, including somewhat appearing as a military hawk (see "no option left off the table against Iran" and drone bombings Pakistan), someone who values national security over civil liberties (NDAA, anyone?), continuing some of the most archaic conservative policies (Cuba) -- as more or less, overtures to the American right. Don't be surprised as we get closer to November, he'll start making lassiez-faire economic quips.
The chilly reception to the center-moving attempts by Obama and Romney -- for two candidates heading towards November, it's stunning how hard pressed you will be to find any sort of praise for either -- represents the increasing rejection of moderates in politics, which is surprising considering how dismayed and cynical Americans are when it comes to the dysfunction in Washington.
In my mind, it comes down two things: the new political reality of a politician trying to establish him or herself in the advent of the 24 hour media and vibrant Internet activism and the second is the dense idea amongst American voters that it is unilateral ideological success, and not cooperation and problem solving, is the way to "save the country".
This is the era of quick soundbites and trying to be as good of a political quote as possible. An era that respectful, constructive political discourse has went out the window. An epoch where scoring points with the constituency and support base is of greater importance than actually solving problems. The American thirst of a partisan political hero that undoubtedly demonstrates putting ideology ahead of cooperation, one to strong arm legislation and fulfill their ideological dream of their way of thinking being the rule of thought in Washington has absolutely disintegrated American politics.
This is why the duopoly of political parties proves to be more damning with each passing election year, but of course George Washington warned Americans of that in his farewell address. The hyperbolic and sensationalist mainstream political analysis, commentary, and reporting does not help -- the line is getting blurred between trying to gauge what Americans are thinking and trying to shape what Americans think. Don't believe me? Next time you watch CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, or even your local news cast, listen to the diction that is used by anchors and hosts when telling a story about a political issue. The words, the sentence structure -- listen to it all. You'll see what I mean.
Yet at the same time, Americans in general don't take to critical thinking when it comes to politics. If that was the case, black Americans would open their eyes to the vicious cycle of being used by the Democratic Party as political capital, that government spending has actually declined since its peak in 2009, that the biggest culprit in the ballooning of government debt is a result of an expenditure problem and revenue problem, that tax cuts is as bad at being political currency as in insisting on raising taxes on the wealthy (whom, for the record, pay a disproportionate amount in federal taxes in relation to income), and that's only the beginning. The true, sputtering machine in the United States is not the economy, it's not the "liberal media", it's not the "conservative garbage" that Rush Limbaugh, Bill Kristol, and Sean Hannity often spin out, but it is as I said before, putting the unilateral, partisan wet dream ahead of constructive and cooperative discussion, deliberation, and problem solving. The American voter, as much as the voter wants to believe that they are victims of this hypersensitive Washington, are actually the enablers.
Believe it or not, there was a time in American politics where Americans valued what the politician accomplished more so as to how much of an adherent they were to specific ideology. However, I guess McCarthy's Salem-esque communist witch hunt should have been a harbinger of what would come to fruition a half century later.
This is why moderates in politics are critical. Moderates aim to be cooperative problem solvers as they can see the points made from the left and the right and come together to accomplish something. Moderates generally approach situations with an open mind, but while they are what they are ideologically, understand that above all else, there's no success to be had unless something is accomplished. These days, when the hyper-partisan House or Senate actually comes together on the deal, it was one side making a massive concession to the other, and a bill's effectiveness is rendered moot.
However, the success of the moderate politician, the success of a kinetic, problem solving Washington depends on the American voter. Yet, you reap what you sow as an ideologically strict voter. Want an ideological hero? Vote in your ideological hero, inflate your hope and standards to an unreasonable ceiling, and be soundly disappointed when nothing gets done.
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