“Political campaigns are designedly made into emotional orgies which endeavor to distract attention from the real issues involved.”
James Harvey Robinson (1937)
Recently, Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Bill DeWeese went on record as stating that he would take all necessary steps to keep Ralph Nader from appearing on the Commonwealth’s November presidential ballot. If his goal was altruistically driven by a deep desire to preserve the integrity of the electoral system it would be laudable. Unfortunately for the citizens of Pennsylvania, his motives are grounded in partisan politics and the visions of power winning bodes for the “ins”!
The arena of political choice is increasingly becoming the court room at the expense of the ballot box. The real losers are not the candidates against whom a judge rules but the American public and our democratic institutions!
Undeniably, America has prospered under the political stewardship of Republican and Democratic administrations. Today, our nation remains strong both militarily and economically, and, in spite of its shortcomings, continues to provide the best model for freedom and the preservation of human rights in the history of mankind.
It is worth noting, however, that the fundamental principals ingrained in our Constitution, as well as the most of today’s mainstream social and economic programs were hatched by dedicated citizens working for organizations and political parties other than the Republicans or Democrats. Yet, despite these recognized “third-party” contributions, the Republican and Democratic parties have systematically conspired to enact legislation effectively denying fair and easy ballot access to minority parties and their candidates.
This chicanery has been actively and consciously abetted by both the electronic and print media which continue to hang on the simplistic, political babble of Republican and Democratic candidates while generally ignoring new, substantive and often radical proposals of their “minority” party opponents, particularly when such ideas and programs require more than a sound bite or headline to explain.
The electronic media in particular has fallen prey to a political axiom that without guaranteed ballot access and widespread support in the polls, minority candidates need not be covered seriously. Yet, without reasonable coverage, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for these candidates to get their messages and programs before the voters or to have their often tough questions publicly addressed to and by their Democratic and Republican antagonists … who otherwise simply ignore them.
Compounding the challenges “third party” candidates’ have in getting their messages out and achieving both a measure of public visibility and support in the polls is the need to raise staggering sums of money to run a campaign. In this year’s election, George Bush and John Kerry will spend, or have spent, on their campaigns more than $500,000,000. That obscene amount represents the ultimate example of form taking precedence over substance … or resources over ideas. And, does anyone believe that fat cat contributors don’t enjoy access unavailable to the average constituent?
Media apologists contend they simply do not have the resources to cover dozens or possibly scores of candidates for each race. Still, one would think that the “talking heads” which grace our television screens and host endless talk radio shows might sense that the races for the presidency and members of Congress are important enough to cover all serious candidates … even at the expense of having to forego some of the time they dedicate to their own self promotion and latest book sale promos.
Can our representative form of democratic government survive if left exclusively in the hand of the Republican and Democratic parties? Their shallow politicians want us to believe they “have a plan” for saving Social Security; fighting the war against terrorism; extricating the U.S. from Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Korea, Europe, etc; changing or preserving the Patriot Act; ensuring no child is left behind educationally, balancing the runaway budget; bringing peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; reducing our dependency on foreign oil; and a host of other important issues, including insisting that Congress end their elitist status and begin to live by the same rules and regulations it so cavalierly imposes on the rest of American society. Yet, when pressed for specific details of their plans they take obfuscation to an art from; changing the subject, blaming their opponent for not having such a plan, becoming irate, simply ignoring the questions or just telling theirs questioners to “shove it!”
These political wannabees are no doubt concerned that if they had to articulate detailed, public positions they’d either prove they really have no workable solutions or they might alienate some of their core constituencies … honesty thereby becoming a casualty to political expediency.
Then there the issues on which neither Republicans nor Democrats will take a stand, such as illegal immigration other than coming up with yet another amnesty program, for fear of loosing Latino votes. Again, politics takes precedent over their duties and responsibilities not to mention the consensus of the overwhelming number of Americans citizens whom the currently or hope to represent.
Several years ago, a former New Hampshire State Senator summed up this frustration when he remarked that the “character of a candidate and the issues the candidate addresses, rather than a system of political parties” should take center stage in the political process. He concluded by rightly observing that the current system is geared to mediocrity.”
Ever since the dismantling of the former Soviet bloc, Republican and Democratic politicians have publicly challenged the governments of scores of nations, most notably in recent months, those in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, to allow full political participation of all parties representing all persuasions, large and small. Yet, these same, selfish and power-thirsty individuals quickly shrink from insisting we be as inclusive in our American political process.
The time has come to strip away the restrictive and unfair laws governing ballot access. Concurrently the media, and other sponsors of political information events, including debates, need to demonstrate their mettle and work to broaden the political process, opening it to those without “connections”, to those who are not part of the Republican or Democratic establishments and to those without access to very significant financial resources. Only in this way, in a fresh marketplace of ideas and increased competition, will the American electorate again begin to believe it has a say in how it is governed.
