Democracy Is Working With People
You Don’t Agree With
To Achieve
What You Both Want
Don’t be fooled by the fact that we just had an election.
it is true that elections are the foundational component in a democratic society. The vote represents the voice of every single person. Individuals vote for the candidates who represent them and they choose those candidates based on the political issues they plan to push, the legislation they intend to introduce.
But that’s not the end of the process. It’s only the beginning.
The fact is we usually pick candidates based on their political views, the issues they intend to support and promote while in office. But the issues are not the issue. It’s also not whether they will keep their campaign promises.
Campaign promises let us know where the candidate stands but we all know that promises are subject to the interactions of law makers in the course of doing their jobs.
The real question is will the candidate I choose be able to negotiate fairly with political peers to get things done? Not will they do everything they said they will do but will they be emotionally mature enough to recognize a good trade off when they see it? Are they wise enough to work with others to get the best possible deal?
We’re learning more and more that what a candidate promises and what they’re able to get done are two different things.
And that should be expected. Candidates come from different places are each working toward different goals. To expect each candidate to achieve their every promise is naive and senseless.
When it comes to politics, middle ground – which is essentially a compromise – is the best you can possibly achieve. It’s the place where both sides get something.
That’s the issue. That’s the democratic process. Elections are necessary but they aren’t enough. The democratic process needs to be well oiled and well used for legislation to move forward in an acceptable manner.
So that means there are two considerations. There’s the vote and that’s where the public engages. Then there’s the legislative process where the elected candidates do their job to work with all other parties to arrive at agreeable legislative solutions.
We call that the democratic process and it isn’t happening so much these days.
Autocrats don’t get it.
The Right Candidate
Obviously, every person who votes looks for candidates who agree with them. They want representatives pushing views that closely align with their own.
If you’re aiming for democracy, that may not be the best approach and people like Trump may not be the best candidates. Although Trump claims to be masterful in the art of deal making, his political record shows he’s anything but.
The border wall is a good example.
In the lead up to 2016, he made it clear that his signature campaign policy was the construction of a border wall. Infrastructure was another important issue but we won’t focus on that for now other than to say it was as much a non-issue as the wall.
The border wall was a complete failure but it’s interesting to note how the failure occurred.
At the beginning of 2018, just over a year in office, the Democrats offered Trump $25 Billion for the wall. It was more than enough to get the job done but he refused. Why? They asked for something in return. They wanted to codify the DACA program initiated during the Obama administration.
DACA, which you can read about here, stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. These are kids who were brought into the US by parents illegally. They didn’t choose to be here but once here they began to engage in the system. DACA allows them reprieve from deportation for two years. During that period, they have access to education and work. Those who work pay taxes and social security. They are contributors.
DACA is not citizenship. It is not a pathway to citizenship. It doesn’t provide immunity. It only gives them breathing space to get their bearings and better their lives in some way.
Although DACA was approved by the Senate, the House refused to vote on it so Obama signed it into law as an executive order. Executive orders are not permanent. They are subject to the whims of the Presidents who follow. Codifying DACA would give it permanent status. Trump refused.
It’s anybody’s guess as to whether his refusal was provoked more by his hatred of Obama or his refusal to accept anyone who wasn’t white but he balked. He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t try to find another way forward. He just walked away.
He apparently thought he was capable of pushing his plans forward without congress (the autocratic way) but instead of working, it only got worse.
He adopted a stand off approach. He rejected all government spending bills unless $5.7 billion was included for the wall. That never happened. Instead the longest government shut down in history occurred (35 days) and in the end Trump blinked. The bill he eventually signed included only $1.4 billion for his wall.
Of course, we all know that Trump in never deterred by legal obstacles. He simply diverted billions from the Pentagon budget which in the end wasn’t near enough to finish the wall or even make much of a dent.
That spending was later deemed illegal but the money was already spent.
Democracy Is Still The Best Option
Trumps approach has a certain Chuzpah to it that people enjoy. It’s great in movie plots. We’re all entertained but in real life it doesn’t work.
Democracy works because it considers everyone’s ideas. It doesn’t endorse any idea. It recognizes all ideas and makes adjustments for them. Maybe that’s boring but with democracy you get far more of what you want than you would taking an autocratic approach.
Democracy is what makes America great. Anything more than that, and you have no idea what you’ll get in the end.
THINK!AboutIt
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