Harlingen, Texas, February 18, 2008: Those of the political elite just don’t get it. They all think they can play the same old games, wave the banner of party loyalty…and everyone will fall in line. They fail to realize large bodies of those who vote in our national elections are just plain fed up with the political party game.
In the name of party loyalty, those in leadership positions demand that we champion the candidates they endorse as suitable to carry either the Elephant or Donkey banners. What they fail to make note of is people are becoming increasingly more aware of the traditional party prattle. The signs of this awareness are clear in the march of Democrats to the new Obama drumbeat. The signs are even more telling in the reluctance of Republican voters to accept the conservative credentials of McCain. Many from both camps are questioning the reasons why they should continue to follow the recommendations of political party leaders.
Even in the days of our Founding Fathers there were voices that spoke out against our attraction to political parties. George Washington had serious concerns as he remarked that political parties…”may now and then answer popular ends.” However, he said …”they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which lifted them to unjust domination.”
Washington, in that far distant past, was able to gaze into the future and see our monster in the making. He warned us against other potential hazards, issuing a strong warning about the dangers of regionally oriented political parties. “I have already intimated to you the danger of Parties by State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations.” But, we failed to pay heed to his wisdom and now have a country filled with what everyone calls the Red and Blue states.
He spoke of the “Spirit of the Party” a term he used with complete distain. Washington claimed that political parties serve…”always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration.” A Party, he continues, “agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one person against another, and foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption. Which find a facilitated access to government itself through party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.” These words we have all seen become a reality two centuries after the Father of Our Country went to his final rest.
To follow up on this theme of wariness when it comes to political parties, a well known author and friend Charles Henderson recently sent out copies of an editorial from the Aspen Times. Written by Gary Hubbell, and published on February 9th, it is titled “In Election 2008, Don’t Forget Angry White Men. Henderson comments the title should really read “Angry Working Men”.
A few words from this article tell the story:
“His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.
He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks in a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory or publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you can keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.”
Hubbell goes on to say, “Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and No, ma’am”, He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.”
The writer further contends there are millions of these men, including more than four million who are members of the National Rifle Association. These men are angry about job sites flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and suppress wages. They are angry about jobs shipped overseas and the lawmakers that allowed that to happen. They are angry about computer tech reps from India that speak unintelligible English. They are angry about rallies seeking reparations for slavery. They are angry about children charged with crimes for bringing toy guns or jack knives to school, or perhaps hugging a classmate. They think those in education or law enforcement who take such actions are idiots.
This angry working man is not a racist, but he is enraged at those who display the worst stereotypes of their respective races. This is a man who wants everyone to have a fair chance, work hard and play by the rules. Hubbell doesn’t mention political parties by name, but says his angry men believe the Constitution is to be interpreted literally and that it is not a “living document” that can be interpreted as judges or politicians see fit.
There is much more detail in the analysis of the angry man and readers should search out the editorial for a complete picture of American working class rage.
The final thought on this topic is…those who pander to the groups who display a “poor me” attitude and view Washington as their own piggy bank should take notice. Political parties that think instructions from Washington will lead voters in lock step to the polls had better rethink the party game plan. The American working man…along with many working women are angry…and they often vote their anger.
