UNITED STATES—Politics, it’s the one subject matter just like religion that gets so many people riled up. I can’t really recall having a healthy conversation with anyone I know when it comes to the issue of politics. It seems to always boil down to this issue of Democrats vs. Republicans or vice versa. For the oddest reason, many of us are unable to escape this ideology that party affiliation is not everything when it comes to getting things done.
This is a debate I’m hoping to stir interest with Americans, especially with the upcoming presidency at hand. Hey, the President of the United States of America does NOT hold all the power, he or she (if it possibly happens) doesn’t make the final decision on all things. Does anyone want to take a stab at who wields that power? Yep, it’s Congress, the legislative branch of the government. The House of Representatives and the Senate wield a lot more power than people are willing to acknowledge.
Those constituents that you elect into office to run your local district or to represent the city you live in or your state on the national level, those are the people who have a bit of power. This is something not a lot of Americans consider when they vote or cast their ballot. Why? They don’t educate themselves on the roles that these individuals play in the government and the game of politics.
These are the politicians who have a major say in what bills are or what bills aren’t passed in your state. These are the same people who determine what laws will go into effect that might have a direct impact on you or the people that you care about.
At the same time, these are the individuals that may have the ultimate control over whether taxes are raised or additional fees will be tacked on for things that you are already paying for. The federal government may dictate how much you fork out when it comes to federal taxes, but they don’t have much control over what transpires when it comes to your state or local taxes that you pay out each year.
At the same time, local politicians seem to have a ‘mist’ when it comes to being elected into office for multiple terms by voters who ‘feel’ that the politician has their best interest at stake. Rarely do these politicians find themselves kicked out of office, only when a scandal has a direct impact on pushing them out of the political game forever.
Has anyone ever heard the phrase “career politician”? These are those people who know nothing else, so they do everything in their power to stay in office. Those kickbacks and drawbacks that may be received from lobbyists or those donations to their campaigns only assist them in furthering ‘their’ agenda. Yes, I put emphasis on the term (THEIR) because most politicians get into government to serve themselves, not the people who elected them into office to begin with.
Who just wakes up one morning and says, “Hey, I should run for city council, mayor, governor, the President?” Not many people, they are sometimes egged on by others who have a hidden agenda, or in some cases one’s level of arrogance or their ego has a direct impact on the decision that is made.
That may be the argument when the campaign run officially begins, and for the first year or so after being elected into office, the candidate will do their best to uphold those ‘promises’ that were made to the voters, but that is the problem. Not every single promise that is made can be upheld and the fact that voters actually suspect it to be possible is so much more laughable. Why are we so gullible to someone who can speak fluidly, is charismatic and persuasive?
I don’t know, but that is the same question I was left asking myself back in 2008. I was an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton, I was well aware of her name from the early 90s when her husband was in office, and not only was she a career politician, she was someone I felt I could trust with my vote, compared to up and coming U.S. Senator Barack Obama.
After hearing him speak at the Democratic Party National convention, I was like “this guy is an amazing orator.” He literally had me mesmerized by the words that were coming out of his mouth and how he was able to speak with such conviction; it was inspiring and motivational at the same time. We have to remember with any politician, the goal is to be able to speak with conviction. This is how the American people ultimately makes the decision rather they trust you as Commander in Chief or not.
Point blank, we as Americans have to be more active in ensuring those who we elect into office act on what they promised voters when elected into office and the things we expect them to do as well. Of course, we’re well aware that most of the things we want will not happen.
However, if an official has been elected in office and nearly 99 percent of the things he or she said they would do hasn’t been done, that’s a major problem. More than ever, it’s time to boot that person from office and replace them with someone who can and who will get the job done.
