Community:
Win at all costs dilutes our political choices.
All eyes are on Super Tuesday and the March 15 Florida presidential primaries. Florida’s Marco Rubio is fighting with the Republican frontrunner to win his home state. But it is deeply troubling that most political watchers are overlooking the problems that might affect election results now and our democracy later.
At the top of my list of offenses is the blood sport that politics has become. We know from history that our politics has never been a genteel game, but it is progressively becoming a game with less honor, respect and loyalty.
Why would anyone run for president?
Candidates are expected to win at all cost. They have to be ruthless and aggressive to prove they will fight for voters in office, if elected. Attack ads or mudslinging is the order of the day. The candidate who appears to operate above the fray is seen as “low energy.”
The presidential candidate’s life and the lives of family members are often cruelly dissected and maliciously shredded. Even friends, whether known since grade school or since last week, are hunted down like wild dogs, just so campaigns can get negative words to be used against the candidate.
Sadly, candidates’ children have even been ridiculed in ads recently, although it’s been our standard practice to leave kids out of political campaigning. But no stone is left unturned until every file, document, conversation, rumor or tip about the candidate is brought to the forefront to be torn apart and scrutinized in the proverbial public square.
This is modern politics, where reputations get ruined; lives, destroyed; and the meek candidate gets run over by the bloodthirsty herd — voters who want to see a blood bath.
The whole thing reminds me of the days of the gladiators, where men fought to the death in the coliseum for the enjoyment of the crowd. Or even the gladiatorial venationes contests, where spectators would cheer and jeer as they watched a wild beast maul and eat a live human.
Today, we consider those people barbarians and uncivilized. But are there similarities to what we do to noble people who desire to serve our country, commit to public service, and work to better our country?
Consider the effects of the nasty election tactics on the lives of the candidates and loved ones. And how about the political messaging that has become less balanced, less responsible and less civil?
Equally disturbing and problematic are the smack-downs we call debates, which have become as fun to watch as sporting competitions. The moderators’ questions pit candidates against each other rather than focus on policy discussion. Debates with no fireworks between sparring candidates are considered boring and uneventful.
Even after the debates, the content and follow-up media interviews are analyzed in every detail — including facial and body movements of candidates to evaluate who was sweating under pressure.
The blood sport is hurting our democracy, which has a domino effect. It limits those who will come forward and commit to public service. This shrinks the diverse pool of people who would be seeking public office. It then discourages many voters from believing in our political system and participating in the voting process. Is it any wonder our nation continues to have less voter turnout out than many other developed countries?
Take for example the primaries this year. It’s clear voters and interest groups wanted a stronger pool of candidates to consider for president. Who can forget those ads to encourage Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for office — although both said several times they were not interested in running for president? There have even been recent rumblings about former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg or someone else — anyone else for that matter — to join the race to take on Donald Trump.
This is 21st-century politics, and the blood sport has thwarted the interest of some individuals to run for president who could significantly contribute to the advancement of our nation.
Is it any wonder that voters would largely throw their support behind political outsiders? They don’t have much of a choice.