The problem with politics
The recent Military Commissions Act has caused an uproar within the Uni student body. And it should. It should cause an uproar everywhere. Such a clear breach of our consitiutional rights needs to be taken seriously and dealt with immediately. However, there are aspects to this entire issue that I find more troubling than the actual act. This has to do with our society and our increasing ignorance.
What influences voters? What do voters care about? What is going to make them vote for me? These are the questions everyone who runs for office asks themselves. And increasingly, politicians are finding that it is not what they say that wins them votes; it’s what they do, or rather, what they don’t do. Apparently, people don’t care about policies, ideals, or political views, they are more interested in whether or not the candidate ever smoked marijuana, or whether the candidate ever hired an illegal immigrant. And this is what is troubling me.
The Military Commissions Act represents how corrupt the Bush Administration is, but the Untied States has now elected President Bush to two terms. The Patriot Act is another example of legislation that went completely ignored. The War in Iraq, the billion dollar deficit, Bush’s stupidity- these are all things that should have influenced voters. But no, it was the fact that President Bush is a good Christian that won him votes. What happened to the seperation of church and state? George W. Bush’s religion should have no effect on his amount of votes and should have nothing to do with his running platform.
Democratic attempts to win back voter support in the aftermath of the Mark Foley scandal is another illustration of this new trend. I think that Foley was wrong in sexually harassing the 16 year old page, and I think surrounding officials were wrong for not reporting the incident and protecting the page. But, nobody seems to care that Mark Foley, throughout his 11 year career in the House of Representatives, tried to increase restrictions on child pornography and outaw commercial photography of children, or tighten federal sex offender laws. Nobody cares that Foley was pro-choice, against giving President Bush more power in international trade agreements, and an advocate of protecting the Florida Everglades. The Democrats, hellbent on using this to their advantage, have failed to see that Mark Foley is one of the few moderate Republicans left in the House. They refuse to notice that the end of his political career increases the possibility that a more radical rightist will run and win.
Of course, it is not really the Democrats’ fault. If they support Foley, their campaign will suffer. Nevertheless, there is a longstanding trend in which the candidate who can put on the biggest show, dig up the biggest secret about their opponent, and coerce the most voters is the candidate who will win. Long gone is the time when a politician can campaign based upon the truth, based upon their policies, and based upon their visions.
— Sarah Pfander