America, the great Land of We Can Do Better
Somewhere between the worlds of Everything Stinks (the Republican’s claim) and Everything’s Great (the Democrats’ default response), there’s a place called the Land of We Can Do Better.
It’s a place of pragmatism, intelligence, good and honest intentions, and an appreciation of facts, data, and science.
We live in the greatest country in the world. Not a perfect country — not by a long shot. Still, the times we’ve allowed ourselves to wander into the Land of We Can Do Better, we’ve been able to accomplish great things.
America did better
We won World War II, not because we had a huge, well-trained, well-armed military just hanging around the East Coast ready to charge across the Atlantic Ocean at a moment’s notice. We won because we were able to build up what President Franklin Roosevelt called an arsenal of democracy, and we could quickly staff and train a military and then plan and executive the necessary strategy and its accompanying logistics.
We’ve cured diseases, built a great highway system, made tremendous advances in science and medicine, implemented programs to help the elderly and the poor, and even put a man on the moon. All coming when we opted for the Land of We Can Do Better, and we did better.
And we did it despite a system of government that often works against the greater good. Its flaws include a campaign finance system that’s a kind of legalized bribery, an Electoral College that enables a candidate with far fewer votes to become president, a Senate that allocates power disproportionately to the smaller states, the ability for states to shape voting districts to thwart the will of the voters by gerrymandering, and the opportunity to tilt what’s supposed to be our ultimate level playing field – our judiciary system – by stacking it with ideologically driven judges.
The result of these defects is the ability for incompetent, corrupt, and ignorant candidates who have no interest in governing to attain office, and the lack of appeal of political life for many of our best and brightest, who choose other more lucrative paths over the road of public service.
The Land of We Can Do Better is not very big. You don’t hear much about it because the bullhorns from the Left and Right often drown it out, all while both enjoy the power the current system gives to the dumb over the smart, the corrupt over the honest, the incompetent over the competent, the liars over the truthtellers, and the clowns over the serious actors.
America can do better
We’ve got some big issues in our country. Our immigration system, how to deal with Israel in its battle with Hamas, the war between Ukraine and Russia, how to maintain a robust, efficient social safety net, improving our educational system, how to provide better and more affordable health care, making our tax code fairer, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and addressing our national debt — for starters.
These are solvable problems. We’ve successfully tackled bigger ones before. Why can’t we do so now?
Another election is right around the corner. A bunch of folks from both parties will try to convince you they’re the best choice. How many will step out of the mishmash of talking points, jargon, cliches, and canned positions listed in the issues section of their websites?
How many can talk to you, explain things to you, show you they have the knowledge and a real plan? Even just show that they care about you?
Democrats have to focus their efforts starting on the centerright and move leftward. There’s only so much time and so many resources available to accomplish this.
America could be great
In this country, the Land of We Can Do Better is in danger. I want to live in the Land of We Can Do Better. I want our great country to be even greater. To be the world’s loadstar when it comes to innovation, excellence, problem solving, democracy, and the rule of law.
I want us to elect candidates who have that goal. Who want to achieve more and aren’t satisfied with the already picked fruits of a stagnating process. Who are honest about our flaws, but can see our great nation’s endless possibilities.