Politics Is A Great Spectator Sport
How can you not love an election year? OK, so it’s the pits for public policy. But in addition to all the entertainment, we get goodies - we get lots and lots of goodies.
This year, we may get a repeal on the 4.3-cent gas tax that a bunch of sober-sided Democrats saddled us with when they came in 1992 and decided that we were serious about reducing the deficit. Whee!
Of course, we know the gas tax should be increased, not decreased. Do we look like idiots? Look, Ross Perot told us the damn thing should be jacked up to 50 cents a gallon, and we all cheered. (Well, actually, we didn’t cheer; we just winced and admitted that he was right.) But it’s an election year - the democratic equivalent of “School’s out!” - so who cares?
Note who gets saddled with making up the difference for the 4.3-cent gas tax: the savings and loans! Is this a stroke of genius, or what? Find me, I double-dare you, someone who has a good word to say for S&Ls at this point. Hey, just because it was Congress (some very prominent members of which are currently running for higher office) that unleashed the S&L disaster to begin with, who thinks it behooves them to behave with some circumspection now? Whee!
Next, we have the fetching sight of House Speaker Newt Gingrich accusing President Clinton of playing election-year politics! Hand me the ice pack, Nellie; I believe I feel the vapors coming on.
Clinton, meanwhile, is off fearlessly crusading against teen smokers. Personally, I’m hoping he’ll take on something more controversial - a timely election-year crusade for the full stop at every stop sign would be nice.
My favorite criticism of election-year politics is the indignant cry, “He’s just doing it to get votes!” No joke, Sherlock. I hate to break it to you, but this is how politicians keep their jobs - they campaign.
The downside of election-year politics is that it does imperil the Constitution. The Git Tuff on Crime contest always produces a rush of bills to impose harsher and harsher penalties for dastardly (and some not so dastardly) deeds, as though the prisons weren’t already crammed to the rafters with small-time drug offenders. ‘Tis the season for life sentences for aggravated mopery and loitering with intent. Congresspersons have already voted to amend the Constitution to prevent flag desecration, a major national peril if ever there was one. They also want to amend the Constitution to balance the budget, which in more normal countries is done by raising taxes and cutting spending.
On the cheerful theory that a week is a lifetime in politics, I am paying no attention to all this Bob-Dole-is-toast talk. On the other hand, one cannot help but notice that such talk is not bringing out the best in some of the Republican brethren. Sen. Al D’Amato, whom we can always count on for displays of real class, has been dumping on Gingrich, who is in turn responding with his normal grace and charm. Boys, boys - AFTER the election.
At this point the R’s are having trouble with chickens coming home to roost. Specifically, the party is in hock up to its eyeballs to the fundamentalist right, which means that they can’t change their own platform plank opposing abortion under any circumstances without a monster fight.
Meanwhile, the D’s are having their usual identity crisis. The two most fundamental questions of philosophy are “Who am I?” and “What am I doing here?” They were last enunciated by Adm. James Stockdale, Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate, leaving a philosophically impaired public with the impression that the poor man had forgotten his own name. We live in a great nation. The D’s are once more engaged in their endless quest to figure out who they are and what they might stand for, aside from getting rid of Republicans. This is always great spectator sport. Stop that teen smoking, team.
Although the content of this election year ranges from vapid to squirrelly, at least we’re making progress on the form. Major networks have now agreed to turn over some free time to the candidates this fall - hallelujah! Humongous battles naturally loom over details, but this truly is a step in the right direction. Keep in mind that every step we take to lessen the cost of campaigning also lessens the extent to which our leaders are in hock to corporate special interests.
But if I may harp on it just once more, the only real solution to the corruption of American politics is publicly financed campaigns. Until we fix it so that the only people whom our politicians owe when they get to office are the voters, the system will continue to stink. Vote for the first candidate you can find who will stand up and say so. Amen.
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