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There is more to politics than winning.
Of course, there is no point to running for office and losing. And if you run for office and your party happens to be in the majority, you can get more done than if your party is in the minority. The reasons are simple.
Our state and national governments operate on two tenets. One is a committee system in which the majority party chooses the chairperson who reviews and approves any legislation moving through the committee. Two is a seniority system where power is based on time in office.
So if you happen to be in the majority party and you have served in the House or Senate for a long time you get a real say into what happens or does not happen.
And by the same token, if you are in the minority party and newly elected, you might as well stay home.
And that is both the strength and weakness of our way of government. The strength is that the system is tried and true and relies on experience and seeming know-how. The weakness is that all of our citizens deserve to have a voice, not just those who happen to be represented by an individual with seniority in the majority party.
In Washington today the Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. You would think that they could get something done when it comes to any of the issues troubling you and me. .
Things like draining the swamp. Cutting unnecessary red tape. Making the government more responsive. Fixing the healthcare system. Making the tax base more equitable… or at least making sure there is adequate tax revenue being raised to pay for the benefits we citizens seem to crave. Improving roads and other infrastructure. Supporting growth in jobs. Making a clear path for immigrants to become legal citizens. And solving a myriad of other problems begging for attention.
But, no. It ain’t happening.
So you have to ask yourself. Why? Why when we have an army of elected and appointed people in Washington, and Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House, are problems piling up with no solutions in sight.
It was said by my very Republican mentor that no matter how sophisticated your view of government, there is an inescapable truism. Democrats know how to govern, and Republicans know how to eat their own. You can see that for yourself by looking at the deep schisms between varying interests within the Republican landscape.
The fact is that the majority party does not magically have a corral around all wisdom, all ideas and all solutions. Policies and legislation that work best are put together through discussion and input by everyone affected – conservative Republicans, moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats, liberal Democrats – experienced pols and newbys. The reason is that they are all Americans.
Our government has operated for many years on a two party system. And that is all well and good. But it is not productive when a party in power insists on operating without consideration or compromise with the other party.
Republicans are not the enemy. Nor are Democrats.
All Republicans are not involved with the alt-right and hate groups. And all Democrats are not alt-left and socialists.
For the most part we Americans are in the middle somewhere. Many of us just want to live our lives in peace protected by a strong military deterrent. We want to be protected with some sort of safety net which includes social security, affordable health insurance, a good education for our kids, smooth roads and safe skies, and courts where justice prevails (not one in which judges are hand-picked based on their political persuasion).
Most of us are not racists. Most of us do not want immigrants, legal or illegal, torn away from their families and sent to some place where their very lives are in jeopardy. People who contribute to our way of life need to be supported while drug traffickers and gang members do not.
The middle of the road is what most of us crave.
And that is what our government and elected officials need to be considering.
The country experimented by going one way with the present administration. It is not what the majority of people want. Neither will be going the other way.
What is needed is for our elected government to work together – regardless of party – coalescing in policies and legislation under which we can all live.
There is no place for the fringe of any ilk to be driving the direction of America. We are better than this.
Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, former Shippensburg University Trustee, awarded numerous patents, as well as Founder and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for automated sourcing and managing of mail marketing, swag, packaging, and all things print. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at Bill@eLynxx.com
