Thursday, February 18, 2010

Overcoming the Deficit of Trust

by Keith Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, February 4, 2010

On Wednesday, January 27, President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress and to the American public. It was historic in that it was his first such speech, however, it was neither his most impressive, nor one that will change the course of history.

As expected, there was no shortage of commentary on his performance or the content he presented.

In preparing for my column on the subject, I could have easily drawn from the compliments of the president’s supporters or merely reacted to the criticisms of those who oppose him. I could have filled more than my allotted column inches agreeing with those on the left who felt he said what he needed to say. Or I could have flooded the space with rants about the official Republican response delivered by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. I could have gone on and on about the trashing Obama predictably received from Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck. I have strong emotions about those commentaries, and having been down that road, the piece would have practically written itself.

Another column preparation approach I could have taken would have been a review of the policy points in Obama’s address. I could have focused solely on the plans he set forward to strengthen the economy. There was certainly enough meat to discuss in his jobs initiative. His approach to the financial sector and Wall Street going forward offers much to debate. I could have picked a topic among Obama’s plans to reenergize small business, or make education less expensive, or invest in clean energy innovation. However, I have already been scooped on the subject; if you want to read a review of the policies outlined in last Wednesday’s speech, or want to hear the president lauded or lambasted, there are plenty of sources out there. Pick up any other paper or news magazine, scan the dials of your TV or radio, or log on to the Internet and you’ll find a plethora of choices.

For me there was a moment during the hour-plus oration that struck a chord. It should have become the thrust of the debate afterward, in my opinion. To be fair, it did get some mention amid the talk about Obama’s open statement on the recent Supreme Court decision, and about the moments he acknowledged the mess he inherited from the previous administration. But the president’s charge to Washington to address the “deficit of trust” among the American people got short shrift in the politics and punditry.

The president is right. No meaningful change will come in a system “where every day is election day” and where the cut-throat perpetual campaign interferes with Washington’s obligation to represent U.S. citizens. The current political climate is destructive not only to those who play the game on the Hill or who occupy offices on Pennsylvania Avenue, but also to those on Main Street who are struggling to simply survive day to day. Those who suffer illness and injury helplessly because they can’t afford proper health care, and those who daily seek employment with few positive results, can expect little relief from such a system.

Watching politics go on as usual in the days since the State of the Union address can make one despondent. Many I have talked to expressed their disappointment and disillusion at the futility of the political process. Once these feelings of distrust and dismay begin to take hold, it’s easy to say “why bother?” and resign oneself to the belief that nothing you can do really makes a difference.

There is a popular theory that the best way to make your voice heard is to exercise your fundamental democratic privilege to vote. In fact, I used to believe this theory and even offered it as advice to those who sought change. At one time it may have been true, but not now. In the current political climate, I think that theory is really part of the problem. I think it leads to the overemphasis of the election cycle and to the perpetual campaign that stands in the way of progress in Washington (and to some extent on the local level).

The recent special election in Massachusetts to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat is an example of this misplaced emphasis. The fact that a Republican claimed victory in this blue state was touted as a referendum on Democrats and on President Obama as his party’s leader. What I saw, as Scott Brown referred to himself as number 41, (a reference to the current 60-40 filibuster-proof majority of the Democrats) was a campaign based on obstructionism. As Brown repeatedly promised to work to kill health care reform I saw a clear picture of how Washington works.

I do think voting is important and is our obligation as citizens, but the best way to make your voice heard is to lift that voice. One can hardly deny the impact of the Tea Party movement on the political landscape. In fact, one of the criticisms of Obama is that he appears (to the right) to be ignoring the voice of the people as expressed within that movement. Unfortunately, the voice of the Tea Partiers is not the voice of America, it’s just the loudest shout in the din. The Tea Party movement doesn’t represent my views; it doesn’t represent the underinsured or underemployed; it doesn’t represent the majority of Massachusetts’ voters, regardless of the lines one wishes to draw.

The problem is that most other views remain unexpressed. Other voices remain silent. We may bend the ear of our neighbor or coworker, but most of us are unlikely to call our representatives or put a pen to paper and mail it to their offices (physical mail that is proven to be more effective than electronic communication). We are more likely to tune out than to write a letter to the editor or submit an article to the Broader View Weekly.

We need to rise above complacency and apathy if we are to hope for change. Change has come too slowly for many of us and we cannot continue to wait for the next election or withdraw from the process altogether. We cannot afford to wait for our elected officials to put away politics and work for the people. We must find our voice and participate in our democracy.

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