Well the Primaries are over, and the traditional calls for party unity have begun. To which, I say, PUMA! “Party Unity My Ass”.
I have to tell everyone reading here, I have come to a place where I could care less about party unity, or party anything. I have realized, political parties are needed to run campaigns, and to raise money to run campaigns. And nothing more.
When it comes to creating policy, they should have no place. A political party has no business setting the agenda for candidates, there can never be a party line, not truly. A political party cannot hold to any one set of values or principles. A political party is not, and should not be a mechanism of ideology.
It is impossible for a political party made up of thousands, if not millions of people to obtain so-called unity. Why? Because each individual has their own ideology, their own values, their own principles, and they have varying degrees of how strictly they are willing to hold to those values and principles. So how can a political party ever hope to hold to any arbitrary set of values and principles?
The best the parties can hope for, is a fleeting moment in time, when they can pull together enough people to vote as a majority, long enough to elect any given candidate. Beyond that, party unity is a phony attempt to look like more than they are.
This is true for both parties. However, the Democrats are far better at pulling it together to win, especially here in Delaware. Why is that? One reason might be because their basic ideology leans toward, doing what you want if it feels good. While the Republican party has become a bunch of tight ass, holier than thou wanna be preachers. I am not talking simply about religious beliefs, though that enter into it. They are preachy about everything, including political principles. If you have a different opinion than them, then you are condemned to political hell. Which in my case, would be eternity spent at a Sussex County GOP meeting Chaired by John Riley, where he just keeps saying “wiggle room”, over and over again.
The idea you can unify millions of people around a set of principles is childish. The call for unity is often made by either a candidate who has won a primary and realizes they need to pull together the party to win the general election. Or by the candidate who lost the primary, and is now trying to look like a team player.
But is anyone, or anything served by such unity? After all, in most cases, the call for unity is meant to unify a single party around that party’s candidate, no matter if the candidate is the best person for the job or not. It is all about the party.
Well following the Delaware Primaries, I am now issuing my call for unity. But I could care less about the parties. My call is for the citizens, the voters, to unify, across party lines, to seek out the best person for each position for which they may cast a vote, and let the parties be damned.
There is no party unity, nor would it benefit the citizens if it did exist. All it does, is promote the idea of one party rule. Imagine if a political party could actually unify enough, in order to win every election? After all, that is the goal of the parties, to win every election. What if that were to happen? Well it would look a lot like Delaware with its one party rule, but even more so.
One party rule is detrimental to the citizens, even to those who voted them in. We often hear the cry to do away with political parties, well we can. But it requires people to stop unifying around the party simply because it is “their” party. If people would vote for the best person, rather than the best Republican, or the best Democrat, then the parties would lose their control, and the people would be better served. This would also end the power the controlling party has to mold the elections, by passing legislation during election cycles which paints their party in a positive light.
We as voters, must stop looking at elections as if they were the NFL, and we want only our favorite team to win. We must unify as voters for the benefit of the nation and our fellow citizens, and vote for the person best suited to do the job.
I am one man, with one vote, why would I waste it to support a person who’s only qualification might be their party affiliation? I say it is time for the citizens to unify, to send the message, “take your party unity, and shove it where the sun don’t shine, with a red-hot poker.”
Actually, Frank, I agree with you to a certain extent. While I identify with the Republican Party over any other, it is because I consider myself to be a conservative first and in theory, that’s the closest group. But do I think the Republican Party is the solution to our problems? No way! At best, it can slow the bleeding…but it can’t heal the wound any more than any other party. So I agree…in the big picture, parties mean nothing.
Following the Constitutional Convention, Mrs. Powel asked Benjamin Franklin “What have you given us, sir?” His response, “A republic if you can keep it.”
The problem we have in this country right now is that none of the citizens actually know what a republic is or how it is supposed to operate. They have abdicated their required role in keeping the republic over the past 100+ years, resulting in the form of government that is now being practiced. While the constitution states that we are a republic, we are actually functioning as an oligarchic democracy. And why should we be surprised? Our children have been taught for years that we are a democracy. It’s found in textbooks, town charters, state constitutions…heck, we hear it in the language of citizens every day!
Well, we are NOT supposed to function as a democracy! You want a democracy? Go to Greece. You’ll soon see the unavoidable result of a country functioning as a democracy…anarchy and chaos. History has shown this time and again…it is always the end result. Worse still, we the citizens have allowed ourselves and our elected officials to function as an oligarchic democracy…talk about adding salt to the wound!
We have been taught that voting is the most important civic duty we have, so we focus enormous amounts of time and energy on political parties, candidates and the issues that drive them (or vice versa) and getting people to the polls to vote for them. Well, I have news for you…10 minutes in the polling booth, while certainly a responsibility, is a drop in the bucket of what is required of citizens to keep the republic.
Think back to Franklin’s response above. He is telling Mrs. Powel (who cannot vote, remember) that it is up to her (i.e., the citizens…voters or not) to maintain the system of government, i.e., the republic. The founders knew that to be successful, the control of political power had to be SHARED between the governors and the governed, and it was the governed who were responsible for “keeping it” by holding the governors accountable and identifying/correcting any boundaries that were being crossed. This must be done on a daily basis, not just for 10 minutes every couple of years! Until folks understand this and act upon it, we will continue to focus our energy on the wrong things and produce the circus that you describe in your post.
We are now seeing more and more symptoms of our ignorance…and believe me, it is bipartisan ignorance! We may not have had the choice in what we were taught, but we can certainly choose to educate ourselves now about the way the founders intended the country to function. We can choose to return to and embrace the responsibility that the founders placed on the citizenry to keep the republic.
So the question is…are you willing to take the steps necessary, get the training, become an activist in the fight to keep the republic? Or will you just continue to complain about it like 95% of the people who actually pay attention to any of this in the first place? I hope your answer is the former, and if it is, call me. I can set you up with all the training you need, and who knows, maybe some of your regular readers from both sides of the aisle will join you! You have an opportunity to make a real difference. 🙂
Wow Linda, you were on a roll there. And then the wheels came off. You stated people can’t help what they were taught, but they can self educate. Then you challenge me to join just another sub group and get “the training”.
I have heard this from Larry Mayo as well. But who give the training? Who’s version of history will I be receiving? Who’s truth this time.
The fact you identified yourself as a conservative makes my point about parties, thanks. But to create just another sub group, and one so hard to define, “what is a conservative?”, only further divides the voters.
I believe for true progress to be made, we must realize there is no conservatism, nor liberalism. There is only the question of what is best for the nation and the citizens.
Simple truths will give us those answers.
But that is just the point, Frank. I probably wasn’t clear enough, for as you say, I was on a roll. This training is not a subdivision of any party. Further, it does not differentiate between conservative or liberal…the problem goes far beyond that, as you stated, and the training has been embraced by thousands around the country across the full range of the political spectrum. It is nothing like the course you have heard about from Larry, although I commend him on his efforts with that program. I did not define the training specifically because I was trying to make a point, not use your blog as an advertising medium.
The focus on political parties is nothing more than a diversionary tactic that has grown exponentially over the years. Sadly, it has done its job very well. We believe that the way to “fix” things is to align with issues and candidates. It never occurs to us that it is the system itself that is broken.
Consider a metaphor of an airplane. The candidate is the pilot, the issues are the passengers, and the system (republic) is the aircraft itself. You can have the best pilot in the world at the controls, or the most important passengers in the seats…but if the plane is malfunctioning, it will still go down. The best pilot (candidate) may be able to delay the outcome, put it on the best glide slope, so to speak, but that plane is still going down! The passengers (issues) may have wonderful parachutes, but the plane is still going down. What you need are trained and skilled mechanics to maintain the aircraft (system/republic), before the plane takes off. Those mechanics are we, the governed. But we stopped training mechanics long ago…and citizens lost interest in the job of mechanic itself.
So, I still maintain that we actually agree, and encourage you to contact me to learn more about how to become a mechanic. If you decide to check it out, I hope you’ll talk about it on your blog and encourage others to follow you. 🙂
I’m voting for members of 3 different parties in the coming election
When people talk about political ideology training, I think of indoctrination , and that makes me think about authoritarianism and today’s Democratic regime…. which makes me think of fascism…..It’s pretty creepy I must say.
This is what you get with political indoctrination.
FBH, if this was political ideology training, I would agree with you…there is a fine line between that and indoctrination, and I don’t advocate either.
However, this training does not promote or even consider political parties, conservative vs. liberal, Republican vs. Democrat, etc. In fact, it stresses that where a citizen identifies within the political spectrum is irrelevant. Graduates of this program come from every ideology imaginable. What they have in common is the understanding that the maintenance of the system is to be carried out by the governed…and that means ALL of the governed, regardless of ideology. The founders innately understood this and built it into the republic.
It matters not to me what party you may support, where you stand along the spectrum, or how active or inactive you have been up to this point. It all comes down to whether or not you want to follow the design of the founders to keep the republic, or you prefer to continue losing the republic through inaction, ignorance, apathy or a combination of all three. I happen to prefer the former, and encourage Frank and the rest of his readers to consider doing the same.
Mouse, I have no problem with that if you believe that those candidates will do the best job. I simply encourage you to refer back to the airplane analogy and acknowledge that whoever is elected to any position is merely the pilot. Will you consider directing at least some of your energy into maintaining the plane itself?
I just changed my vote on 1. Now i’m down to just 2 parties
@Linda: You want a democracy? Go to Greece. You’ll soon see the unavoidable result of a country functioning as a democracy…anarchy and chaos.
Huh? Greece is a constitutional republic with a parliament elected by the people. There is a prime minister who is head of government and a president who is head of state. The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic.
Anarchy is the absence of government. You want to see anarchy, go to South Sudan.
Greece is a delightful destination. Do consider going there If you ever have an opportunity to travel outside of Sussex.
“However, this training does not promote or even consider political parties, conservative vs. liberal, Republican vs. Democrat, etc.”
Not overtly perhaps, but considering one of the founders is from the Tea Party, I’m kinda guessing the training tilts a little. Besides, what credentials do the trainers have in governing our republic anyway? Without their curriculum vitae, I might as well get training from my dog because I at least know his pedigree. Besides when someone holding a position in a political party tells me they are offering something (training) that is agnostic, it doesn’t pass the Ho Ho test. The lipstick might be a neutral shade, but I know what color the pig is.
This political cycle I have to announce that I must have finally arrived. The last 2 cycles I have liberated signs from elsewhere to place in my yard, to show support. This cycle I awoke to find that they did it for me. 🙂
Acceptance at last.
Linda, you are making the same arrogant assumption (no insult intended) that Larry makes when promoting these types of “courses”. That assumption is that I don’t understand our Constitution and the founding principles of our nation simply because I view them differently than do you and the small circle you travel within.
I have read extensively about many of our Founders and the framers of the Constitution, I have read the Constitution many times over, it is not a complicated document, which was intentional in my opinion.
I have to agree with others here, what qualifies the so called instructors of these courses to teach anything? And understand, I do not claim to be right about everything, I just think I am.
My sub group comment was not about them being a sub group of any party, but of society in general. I would bet, the people who go through these come out thinking they are smarter than the average citizen, thinking they now hold knowledge that makes all their views correct and above challenge.
Also, if what I come away with is airplane metaphors 😉 I’ll pass.
Our voters can self educate themselves, by themselves, if they are motivated, and if they are not, then I doubt they would attend such courses. Voters can educate themselves simply by watching more than one network to get both sides of the story, read more than their favorite websites which agree with their beliefs. They can read books on topics and issues. They can talk to people in their communities, and outside their safe zones of friends. They can attend candidate forums and ask questions. They can follow legislation and how elected officials have voted. Again, this requires they be motivated, and again, if not, they will not be attending your classes.
Finally Linda, just how much do these classes cost, and do you receive a referral fee for bringing people to the classes? Or do I just have to buy the text books?
@Linda: “While the constitution states that we are a republic, we are actually functioning as an oligarchic democracy. And why should we be surprised? Our children have been taught for years that we are a democracy. It’s found in textbooks, town charters, state constitutions…heck, we hear it in the language of citizens every day!”
OK, I can accept that policy making is dominated by powerful special-interest groups and a few wealthy individuals. That’s your “oligarchy”bit. But it does not follow that this is so merely because a lot of people term this country a democracy instead of a republic. Saying that the USA is a democracy or a republic or even a democratic republic does nothing to change the structure of our government.
Dave – I’m not sure who you think one of the founders is that is from the Tea Party, but this group is run out of another state, so I think you’ve been misinformed. Further, I’ve intentionally not provided its name. I will gladly do so with those who are genuinely interested. And just because I hold a position in a political party does not preclude my desire to keep the republic, to recognize that none of the political parties hold the key do doing so, or to be humble enough to learn from the mistakes of the past. Can you say the same? I’m not seeing evidence of it in your comments.
Honi Soit – thank you, but there’s a fairly good chance that I’ve traveled outside of Sussex far more than you, including to Greece. They are functioning as a democracy and are paying the price. Regarding your second statement…that’s exactly the point. The structure of government is broken.
Frank – I make no such assumption about you whatsoever. Quite the opposite, in fact. Which is exactly why I would love to see you check out this program. I may disagree with you on some issues, but I have never questioned your passion or your belief in what you say or pursue. And I have not seen a single person come out of this program thinking that they are smarter than others. Again, quite the opposite, because they see where they have been misdirecting their energies all this time.
The airplane metaphor is mine, not the program’s, so your comment on that is just silly. But you are correct in saying that if the individual is not motivated and does not wish to self-educate, they won’t be interested and won’t attend. Again, this is why I encourage you to do so. You ARE motivated – you sense that something is not working, and you want to fix it. If not, you wouldn’t be devoting so much time to writing on this blog.
Finally, I can assure you that I do not get any kind of referral fee for bringing people to classes. I encourage others to do so that I think are motivated and willing to listen and learn. The cost of the class is $50 and includes the textbook. 🙂
Well thank you Linda, it took much less time for you to admit someone is making money from these classes than it did with Larry. I’m sorry, but I feel there is no more need for people to be taught about the Constitution by someone’s business than I do that people need other imperfect beings to teach them the word of God. See my comment above.
“Dave – I’m not sure who you think one of the founders is that is from the Tea Party, but this group is run out of another state, so I think you’ve been misinformed. Further, I’ve intentionally not provided its name.”
@Linda
I have Google on my machine and I know how to use it. One of the founders is indeed in another state and yes he is Tea Party which as the Delaware Outreach Director you would know such information.
@Linda: The Tea Party crowd goes to great lengths to remind everyone that the USA is set up as a republic and they admonish anyone at every opportunity who refers to the USA as a democracy. And from what I gather, they do so solely because they equate all democracies as “pure” democracies or “direct” democracies where decisions are made through majority vote of the people in the absence of a constitutional framework and a judiciary to rule on the legality of these decisions. Think ancient Athens and other city states, not modern Greece. Or any other modern country for that matter–including Switzerland, where referendums are frequent.
* http://teapartyorg.ning.com/forum/topics/differences-between-democracy-vs-republic
Tea Party, lol got to love it. People identify with a party that doesn’t even really exist.
What a typical, naive screed.
Frank, you just can’t seem to grasp one crucial fact. We are in the midst of a century-old battle. It is, essentially, a war between the traditionalist and the leftist-socialist “liberals.” Period. It is just that simple.
The traditionalists- conservatives (i.e. to “conserve” what has proven to work) – are best represented (although not exclusively or unanimously) by the Republican Party. Conversely, those seeking a socialist state (or even no sovereign state at all) are best represented by the Democrat Party.
I am not going to waste time trying to identify all of the the differences between the ideologies other than to say that the conservative wants to preserve most of what worked quite well since the founding. The “liberal” wants a mega-state that controls almost every aspect of society. The conservative believes in fiscal responsibility; the “liberal” believes in endless spending. The conservative believes in the sanctity of the US Constitution; the “liberal” seeks to destroy it as an anachronistic vestige of antebellum sociopolitical hegemony.
It is simple, Frank. You try to make it complicated. The left has been winning by attrition. If they’re not stopped, we’ll be another Venezuela or Cuba- or worse.
Rick you are correct about the parties. But are the citizens well served by only two such vastly different choices? The reason the parties are moving further and further apart is in an attempt to pander to the fringe base. The left goes further left, and the right goes further right. Left in the center is the majority. The majority of people want jobs and to raise families. They are not motivated by guns or gay marriage. The only budget they care about is the one they have to meet at home. You century old battle is not relevant to them.
To perpetuate this battle serves no one. The parties perpetuate this battle to raise money.
As long as this battle is perpetuated, the citizens are the losers, no matter which party wins, because no one lives at the extremes, except extremist.
“The majority of people want jobs and to raise families”
These cottage industries like the Center for Self Governance, Constitutional Sheriffs, etc. line the pockets their founders by fomenting and feeding off fear. Using fluoridation for mass mind control has been around since the 40 and there always have and will always be people on the fringe. The Internet has given them voice, but it doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of the people generally want and respect things like food and water safety; a air traffic control system that provides thousands of safe flights every day; a military that defends the nation; and even an interstate highway system that allows America the mobility to live where they want.
@Rick: It is simple, Frank. You try to make it complicated.
I’m with Frank on this. The issues are complex. Rick, do try resisting the temptation to simplify to the extent where you misrepresent consequences. The USA will not become a Colombia or worse if Democrats govern. Nor will it will become a fully unregulated capitalistic country if Republicans do.
Catching up on my reading over coffee this Monday morning, thank you all for a great discussion. I can really say I don’t miss the personal insults of some of our more “limited” commentators. Looking forward to continued discussion as we head into (for real this time) the most important election of our short lives.
why would anyone read anything Frank writes?
nothing good on the Cartoon Network?
I’m with Frank on this..
Of course you are. All Democrats on this blog are with Frank.
Thanks for making my point.