The Religion of Political Partisanship

What’s your political denomination…I mean affiliation? You’re a true believer…Right? It’s amazing how we latch onto political parties and defend our candidates to the very, often bitter, end. Perhaps you inherited your political affiliation from your parents or grandparents. Maybe you fell into your political persuasion in college, or while listening to your favorite political talk show. Which came first…Your political inclination, or the radio talk show you got hooked on? Who knows? Let some chicken figure that out while she’s sitting on the egg you’ll be scrambling for breakfast. It really doesn’t matter. That’s just the way you see things, and that’s the way it’s going to be!

Now, it’s certainly no crime to get behind a candidate. After all, that’s how we get our guy or gal into office…Right? Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with my squishy moderate politician…Just cut the baby in half and keep this ship of state afloat for a while longer. A few hundred billion here, a few hundred billion there…There’s no reason to go overboard. We’ve been doing this borrowing thing for decades, now.

George Washington may not have cared much for the idea of political parties, but it was inevitable that people and powerbrokers would band together to increase the possibility of political success. It’s true, most politically conscious citizens remain loyal to their inherited political affiliation with the passion of a religious zealot. The party may not look anything like my Grandfather’s party, but by God, that’s my party! It’s the same with political candidates. Once we take a liking to a particular candidate, the vetting process comes to an end. No matter how vague and politically correct the candidate may become, the scrutiny comes to an abrupt halt. I love Ron Paul, and I don’t really care about his views on terrorism …He’s going to fix the Fed! That’s just the way it works. You pick a favorite player and root them on to victory.

The shallow experience of modern politics has certainly been advanced by the perpetual motion of media sound bites and powerful governmental and corporate bureaucracies. Every once in a long while, though, our political persuasion steams through the strait of new perspectives, and we experience a revolutionary political sea-change. There’s nothing more revolutionary than the capacity to hold even the most beloved political candidate accountable, both in and out of office. This is the miracle of representative democracy. It’s also the stuff of a sound mind. When a candidate asks for your vote, you should be wary, discerning, and demanding. Politicians are neither gods, nor the action figures of a vicarious spectator sport. It’s rewarding to be on the winning team, but it’s far more important to honestly assess the actual character and intentions of both yourself, and your political candidates.


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