September 10, 2010 08:29 PM UTC

Politics Today: A Cult of Me

• 4 Comments
• by: dlof

I’ve explained to many people, most of the time, with my tongue in my cheek, that I am a me-ist.  I don’t discriminate against people on the basis or race, or gender, or religion. I discriminate equally against all people who are not me.

Saying that is usually good for a laugh, but lately I’ve been seeing a lot of it in the political discussion.  People who honestly believe that they have a corner on the market of political ideas and solutions.

For example, I close friend of mine, has, since Senator Bennet was appointed in early 2009, argued that his refusal to take a position on the Employee Free Choice Act represents him as spineless or indecisive.  She claims that “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”  But, I’m not sure. First, it isn’t politically astute to take a position on a completely hypothetical issue, especially if it’s a divisive issue.  Secondarily, Senators and Representatives don’t vote on ideas, they vote on bills.

But, even more than the political calculus, the fact that a Rep. disagrees with you does not indicate that he/she does not have a position, or that that position is not moral or well-founded.

But we have a large number of people, the tea party on the right, and the PUMA-types on the left (those enraged by some vote or other that Rep. Markey or Sen. Bennet made), who are acting like petulant children.  Stomping their feet and whining, and losing sight of the fact that when a Senator or Representative gets elected from their district, they, that one person, really has no right to expect 100% agreement with the Rep.

I’ve seen criticism of Rep Markey, couched in the frame that she’s not a Democrat, so she is unworthy of a vote.  Or criticism of Sen. Bennet, couched in anger at financial votes that it would take advanced degrees in finance to truly understand.  But our Cult of Me seems to act as though getting 76% or 51% or 94% of what you want is reason to try to get better.

Given that this is politics, and part of that game is to argue about the merits or people and positions, but this seems egotistical and somewhat selfish, the assumption that it’s socially acceptable to lash out the very second that what you get is not 100% of what you want.

My thought is that if you think you deserve to agree with your rep 100% of the time, you ought to run yourself.  And, when you get elected, my guess is that you’ll find you won’t get to agree with yourself 100% of the time.  Not if you want to be effective.  So, I ask the COPols community, what the hell is wrong with us?