The Awakening
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
I am 65 years old and have been following politics all of my adult life. I firmly believe that for the first time, and possibly the last time, we have a chance to make a significant inroad into the top-down, incumbent-manipulated, what’s-in-it-for-me politics that has characterized American politics going back nearly to the days of the Founders.
The evidence for this Awakening is not just in the Marches, the Town Hall Meetings, and the protests by 9/12 and other Patriot Groups. These are just the visible manifestations of a movement that has spread like wildfire largely through the use of the Internet.
The political insiders are counting on two things to maintain their stranglehold on power. First, they are counting on the American people to get tired of protesting and marching and writing letters and faxing. After all, citizens have a limited amount of time and attention to give to politics given that they have families to feed, to educate, and to pay taxes for. They have elderly parents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors to make comfortable in their last days. History has shown that past grievances by the electorate have not lasted long. Sometimes the politicians have had to pass some placating legislation that could later be ignored, but by and large these bouts of citizen activism have been outlasted by a political class which can devote 24/7 of their time if need be to maintain power.
Secondly, even if citizen outrage continues into the election year of 2010, the politics-as-usual practioners have an ace or two up their sleeves. After all, they make the rules, change the rules, and act as scorekeeper in the game of politics. In most cases the people who determine filing deadlines, filing fees, signature requirements, and other hurdles to getting on a ballot are people who they have helped get their Party positions. The main stream media, far from being the watchdog the Founders envisioned they would be, are actually protectors of incumbents. If you don’t believe this, check out any set of endorsments by major newspapers to see the ratio of incumbents in their endorsements. For a person without political credentials to break into a Congressional race would be very, very difficult without the artificial roadblocks deliberately set in the path.
In the face of these obstacles, why do I have hope? Because professional career politicians have always had an Achille’s Heel which until now they have been able to ignore. Until now, no one has bothered to ask them whether their loyalties lie with the citizen or with their friends, contributors, or Party buddies. If they are faced with the prospect of having to answer this foundational question, they are presented with a dilemma like none other they have faced. If they answer (truthfully in most cases) that their loyalties lie with those who can guarantee a long career, then they will have committed political suicide.
On the other hand, if they attempt to lie, the consequences are just as bad from their standpoint. If they acknowledge that they are subordinate to the citizen, then they cannot (assuming we continue to watch them) undertake the traditional methods of eliminating competition–the gerrymandering, the financial warchests meant to scare off challengers, and all the rest.
Lester Gabriel
Stafford, VA
