Politicians Need to Serve Us or Take a Walk

Politics can be a source of change for the better but the way elected and appointed politicians wield their power has given that industry a very bad reputation. President Calvin Coolidge once said, “So much emphasis has been placed upon the false that the significance of the true has been obscured and politics has become to convey the meaning of crafty and cunning selfishness, instead of candid and sincere.”

Crafty, sunning and selfishness certainly describes the powers that be in today’s political climate. Elected politicians seem to be known more for advancing their own self-interest than representing the people who entrusted them with their office. It has become a way to enter “public service” and leave, if they ever do, rich, powerful and influential. Public office was never designed to be a way to become a millionaire but many see it as a vehicle to wealth, not a position of service to the people.

For many the election of November 2nd signaled a demand for change in Washington, yet not like the change that has come as a result of the election of 2008 when then Senator Barack Obama called for fundamentally changing the United States of America. That “change” left many feeling empty, betrayed, and conned. Change for the sake of change has proven once again to be a foolish and misguided notion.

With every election we once again have an opportunity to put America back on track but everyone seems to have their own definition of what ‘on track’ means. The late Senator Ted Kennedy authored a book entitled “Taking America Back” but as any Conservative will tell you, what a liberal calls “America” differs greatly from what the majority of Americans call the core values which define America.

The will of the people seems to play a small role in determining how some politicians vote as they pretend to represent the people who elected them. Once in power they cave to special interests and self-serving tendencies. If America is ever going to get back on track, such things have to change and in this rapidly moving world that change must be done in short order.

Then Senator Obama called for reaching across the isle while campaigning when the reality of his mindset had him voting in step with the Democratic Party line all through his term in the Senate. He said what sounded good in order to garner votes but he was never true to his words, as flowery as the were.

Yet as President he has slighted, maligned and denigrated the Republican Party, its members, those that voted for or supports them as well as any idea they submit. His call for bi-partisanship has been as shallow as his veiled honoring of the Constitution. If Obama reaches across the isle it will be to slap a Republican in the face, for his own good, of course.

Many people believe that historically the election of 2008 will be considered the most important election of our time because the country elected its first Black president. That is a fair assessment but by the time 2012 rolls around, that election will be proclaimed as the most important election of our time because we will once again be fighting for reversing the ‘change’ that 2008 brought us. Every election is important and stands on its own merit as one we need to responsibly be a part of.

In 2008 we elected probably the most unqualified man to lead this country all on the pretense of “making history” and almost daily we have seen how mistaken a notion that was. Voting “Present” 135 times in the Senate showed his lack of ability to exhibit leadership or conviction on issues that touch our lives.

We say we insist upon electing a man of integrity and honor with a splash of humility sprinkled in but we elected instead a man of shallow promises, Hallmark sentiment, flowery rhetoric and arrogance. As in all things I hope we learned from that mistake.

Possibly it is because we tend to think that if things aren’t perfect any change would be better. As adults we should have learned long ago how foolish that is. Deep down inside we all desire a leader with integrity but if we’d be honest with each other we would express our fear that few such men exist in politics today. But rather than lower our standards to accommodate that shortage, we need more than ever to stick to that standard and insist that integrity, truthfulness, wisdom, openness and humility be a yardstick that we measure any man or woman against that seeks to hold public office.

That in itself will increase the odds for an open and honorable administration where backroom deals are not only non-existent but not tolerated. It is impossible to separate the character of a man with the way he exercises his duty in elected office. A corrupt individual will govern corruptly and his silver-tongue will never fully hide that fact. Actions speak louder than words and actions are born in the heart of a man. An ugly heart, even if hidden behind a flashy smile, produces an ugly reality.

Of course, once in power all tend to want to remain there. Elected office should never be a lifetime position and term limits should be placed on all public offices from the president to city mayor. People have a tendency to do things they way they think is right and never admit to there being another way. They continue to do things the way they have always done them and with rigidity instead of flexibility. Thus we have the need for term limits and the input of new blood, ideas and points of view.

I don’t know if the political system will ever change for the better but election by election we must do what we can. Searching the countryside for a man or woman of integrity and honor may seem a daunting task but we have less than two years to present such a person to the country and in so doing take control of our destiny as Americans. To do so will be to buck the growing tide that says we should be ashamed to be Americans.

America can no longer tolerate a man whose sole purpose seems to hinge upon apologizing for America and whittling it down to fit in the same cubbyhole as far less honorable countries. America does not need a “Citizen of the World”, as Obama proudly proclaimed himself to be, for president, but a true American, proud of our country, faults and all. Whether we see such a man in the White House in two years depends upon us.

We must set the standard for leadership that we say we demand and measure all candidates by that standard, refusing to lower it because the field of candidates seems to be lacking. That honorable man or woman is out there for America is full of them. We need to insist that anyone we place in office is put there because they meet our definition of what a leader and an American should be.

We must refuse to settle for less in a leader because if we are willing to settle for less, we will have to. We must never again settle for a leader who finds it easier to vote “present” than stand with conviction for what is right. We need a man who is governed by conscious and the desire to lead according to the heart of Americans everywhere. One that stands up for America and does not find it so easy to malign her. One who values the rights of Americans over those of terrorists or willful invaders that flaunt their disrespect for our land and law.

If there is one lesson we must force our elected officials to learn it is “just because you are in office today does not mean you will be tomorrow. You are accountable to us and once your personal agenda becomes more important than the will of the people you govern, it will be time for you to pack it in, and we will be glad to help you with that”.

The backbone of America will always be honorable people not self-serving politicians. And anytime elected officials forget it, we’ll be happy to remind them by handing them their walking papers. Mr. or Mrs. Politician, you serve us and if you fail to remember that, remember this: a pink slip can be a painful reminder of failure.