An Apology Might Help, Congressman

I have been trying something different, silence. Well, not exactly silence, but I haven’t written about politics lately. Like many Americans, I am weary of the political banter, the finger-pointing, the name calling, the blame game. I thought some time away from the keyboard might improve my gloomy opinion of American political affairs. It didn’t, due mostly to this foolish government shutdown. But, it did allow me some time to consider my role in this mess.

First, allow me to apologize. I am sorry for those times I worried more about being seen as American than about shouldering my responsibility as one, and for those times when I raced to place blame when I should have set to help fix what was broken. There, that felt pretty good.

Don’t worry; I don’t suffer an illusion my voice has some unique and powerful effect on our country’s affairs. I am just another guy. However, my being only one of 320 million doesn’t mean I am not accountable in some small measure for where things stand. We all are. And, we can do something about it. As voters we have the capacity to change things at the polls.

Since long before the invention of the squawk box known as television, Americans have been suckers for silver-tongued politicians who promise more than can ever be delivered. We love tough guys. We reliably react to political attack ads and respond with great fervor when a candidate tells us in well-crafted, thoroughly focus-group-tested language exactly what we want to hear.

Longing for something better is part of the human spirit, but we deny the human intellect when we buy the rhetoric spewed by those more interested in getting the job than they are in doing the job.

Guilty. I have done this.

Too many of those holding elected office in this country today mistake sycophancy for patriotism. They spend their time playing to the cameras to impress party power brokers, corporate leaders, special interest groups, each other and the all too acquiescent electorate. This empowers the elected ones to spend more energy exacting revenge on political opponents than they do solving the shared problems of the people they were elected to serve.

Finding solutions and building a consensus to move forward is what leaders do. We haven’t too many of these. I could end this by saying the fault for this rests with Congress, the President or some group of “them” – that we are victims of a flawed system – but it does not and we are not.

Today’s political quagmire is our doing, yours and mine. We cannot blame some great and powerful “them,” for we are the ones who control our destiny. We elect the “them.”

Every time we recite the partisan hyperbole and poke our fingers in the direction of those of a different political stripe, we feed the monster that is destroying us.

It’s time to move this country forward again. We will do this when we muster the guts to elect people more committed to country than they are to themselves and their party.

Here is what I intend to consider before stepping into the voting booth next time:

1. Leadership over longevity – Our system is broken because entities like the House and Senate perpetuate rules that reward time in office over leadership potential. This destructive practice has placed power in the hands of an out-of-touch group of lawmakers. Term limits aren’t the answer, but voters should evaluate if the incumbent expended more effort perpetuating or ending gridlock. This year, more than ever, too few have been problem solvers.
2. My way may not be the best highway – I need to listen, really listen to what others are saying. The American system is weakened when personalities and basic ideological differences define the debate before it starts. I need to play a role in ensuring competing ideas are aired fairly and openly. And, most important, I need to keep my eye trained on the goal, which is a better tomorrow, not an election victory for my adopted team or candidate.
3. Statesmanship over gamesmanship – I want to encourage and support the candidacies of those who are interested in leading. These people will have flaws and will say things that make me uncomfortable at times. I can forgive them if they prove themselves to be committed to doing the best they can.
4. I will continue to speak up, but only if doing so is helping to move things forward.

Americans have and can do magnificent things when we come together as a people. For many, in and out of office, saying “I am sorry” may be a good place to start.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.