SIMPLY put, I hate the Republican Party. No matter how well Bush's administration does in the next four years, I will always find Dubya a little slow, and Vice President Dick Cheney a little fat. Some might call me closed minded and insensitive, but I would call it unyielding loyalty to my political beliefs. In other words, politics was never meant to be touchy-feely.
The last election has illustrated one of two things. First, there's the possibility that the American people really have no concern or direction in politics and have moved to an "I'll do whatever my neighbor does" approach to it. Even more alluring is the possibility that American politics is fiercely divided between Democrats and Republicans and will continue to ignite passionate debate between the two sides. While I could never prove either case, I would hope that the latter to be true.
Being one of the leaders of the free world is not an easy job. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that every action and every word is noted, printed and analyzed to the point of absurdity. It is this very absurdity that keeps our leaders from drowning in mediocrity.
To say that President Clinton got a fair amount of controversy and scrutiny during his presidency is obviously a satiric understatement. His job approval rating was one of the highest for any post-World War II president, and his administration was responsible for the longest peacetime economic expansion in history. The economy thrived under Clinton, and leaders from all over the globe came to him to find answers to their troubles. He undoubtedly did a pretty good job, even though he was not exactly the household example of the local role model. Yet, reporters were still able to drain the former president to the point where his eyebrow now painfully twitches at the simple word "intern." As an example of the tough standard to which we hold our leaders, Clinton's arrival in a limousine to President George W. Bush's inaugural address was marked by awkward silence and his departure by deafening cheers. We certainly need more of that attitude.
Political rivalry is what forces leaders to remain accountable for their actions and keeps the system in check. It is the redundant struggle of the Republican Party to smear Clinton's reputation that signified to the people that no one, even the president, is above the law. It is the loyalty of Gore supporters that brought attention to the potential flaws in the election process. It is the liberals of the country who will ensure that Senator John W. Ashcroft's past record of unconstitutional policies does not manifest itself in his actions as attorney general.
Politics is, above all, about exclusion. It is about building a sense of identity as to how one thinks the country should be run, what the government's priorities should be, and what your role as an individual should be within that framework. After building that identity, it is about killing, figuratively, the opposition. This is the approach to politics that we should take, a no-holds-barred fight that will keep even the strongest of leaders on their feet.
The drive for political exclusion, however, can only begin with the voters. Voters must question politicians who attempt to compromise their own political agenda for votes. Our personal interests must come first, even if they appear to be self-centered and narrow because aligning our political tendencies with what is best for the group is self-defeating. In the end the interests that are common to the majority will win in the election polls. In a system that can't cater to everyone's needs, if everyone focuses on their own interests, what is best for the majority will translate into what is best for the group.
What does this mean for the new Bush administration?
It signifies a new era of bash-the-leader. While there is always a thin line between criticism and insolence that we must be careful not to cross, Bush should not, and I dare say will not, be safe from the constant scrutiny of the press and half the American people. Whenever Bush screws up, it is the Democrats' job to jump on him and broadcast his failures on Saturday Night Live.
So, next time you are in a gathering and someone cracks a Bush or Gore joke, join in the clobbering. Even if you don't have a set political affiliation, pick one and add fuel to the fire. It is the only way politics will remain alive in America, and the best way to keep politicians from sleeping on the job.
(Faraz Rana's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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