We Deserve Better, or Do We? (Guest Voice)

We Deserve Better, or Do We?
by Robert Levine

In our general elections, those who go to the polls are faced with stark choices the party primaries have imposed upon them. The candidates who have emerged tend to be more to the extremes of the political spectrum, reflecting the beliefs of those who selected them. This means that moderate voters are forced to pick candidates who do not represent their views and have to decide on the lesser of two evils.

It is sad that American democracy has come down to this. Instead of electing men and women we can be proud of, strong competent leaders whose beliefs coincide with ours, we chose the candidates who are less bad. So it is not surprising that our government is now foundering, our representatives in Washington bickering like school children, unable to devise solutions to the nation’s pressing problems.

In a democracy, people are supposed to get the government they deserve. (This concept has been attributed to de Toqueville, but may have other origins.) The point is that when citizens are able to elect their leaders, they have ultimate control of their government and the decisions that are made. Unfortunately, in America, a small proportion of our citizens has taken control of the electoral process and determines who our leaders will be. This situation is the result of the party primary system in which the vast majority of Americans don’t participate. In these contests, party activists choose the candidates who will become our officeholders after the general elections.

Republican candidates make pledges never to raise taxes, tying their hands and ignoring the possibility that circumstances may necessitate heightened government revenues. These men and women also reject credible economic doctrines that justify increased government spending during this period of slow growth and unemployment, with plans to reduce budget deficits and the national debt after the economy improves. In addition, they refuse to believe scientific evidence about the environment and global warming. And rejecting evolution and other standard scientific theories, they want to teach America’s children creationism and other pseudo-sciences, which will leave the next generation unprepared to compete in the new global world.

On the other hand, many Democrats won’t acknowledge that America’s entitlement programs, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, are fiscally unsustainable, and that changes must be made in these arrangements to avoid future economic calamity. They refuse to rein in spending on these programs irrespective of the data they are given. These men and women see reality through rose-colored glasses and don’t understand that shared pain and sacrifice will be necessary from everyone in the future to control our national debt, with protection of the most vulnerable if appropriate action is taken.

So which group should lead America and run our government? Neither sounds inspiring, but what can we do about it? Though the primary system would seem to be the problem, changing that charade is unlikely since the politicians in power are satisfied with it and would not voluntarily accept modifications. It would also be difficult getting more citizens to vote in the primaries to support centrist candidates, since many of them are not even interested in the general elections. They’ve become apathetic and perhaps lazy to boot, believing their voices don’t count in the current political system. And if people are unwilling to participate in politics to a greater degree than they now do, perhaps America does have the leadership and government it deserves.

But maybe having a centrist third party in the mix would be transformative. A party that was more pragmatic and less constrained by ideology might shift attitudes and stoke enthusiasm for the political process. Its primaries could even be conducted over the Internet, making it easier for citizens to vote and play a role. Maybe there are other answers as well to our current bind, but political change has to come quickly or the world will pass us by. In a democracy, we do get what we deserve.

A VietNam vet and a Columbia history major who became a medical doctor, Bob Levine has watched the evolution of American politics over the past 40 years with increasing alarm. He knows he’s not alone. Partisan grid-lock, massive cash contributions and even more massive expenditures on lobbyists have undermined real democracy, and there is more than just a whiff of corruption emanating from Washington. If the nation is to overcome lockstep partisanship, restore growth to the economy and bring its debt under control, Levine argues that it will require a strong centrist third party to bring about the necessary reforms. Levine’s previous book, Shock Therapy For the American Health Care System took a realist approach to health care from a physician’s informed point of view; Resurrecting Democracy takes a similar pragmatic approach, putting aside ideology and taking a hard look at facts on the ground. In his latest book, Levine shines a light that cuts through the miasma of party propaganda and reactionary thinking, and reveals a new path for American politics. This post is cross posted from his blog.