It's Time...

After having watched the third "debate" between Gov. Romney and President Obama, I have come to the conclusion that the vote for President matters less than the elections of Senators and Congressmen.

The situation is simple: if members of Congress can seriously work together for the betterment of our country, either presidential candidate could be successful. If Congress remains disgustingly polarized, neither man would succeed in the oval office.

I really do believe that if our Congressmen were taking the best interests of the country to heart, they would be appalled at their behavior over the past 20 years.  In the words of Alexis deToqueville (as translated by Henry Reeve): "In the heat of the struggle each partisan is hurried beyond the limits of his opinions by the opinions and the excesses of his opponents, until he loses sight of the end of his exertions, and holds a language which disguises his real sentiments or secret instincts." He was referring at the time to France, but the description fits the good ol' USA now.

 

To put it simply: our politicians have gotten into the habit of taking positions merely because they oppose the other party's position. It seems to me to be a "groupie" kind of thing, where undecided or moderate politicians get sucked towards the positions of the more vocal extreme members of their party out of a need to "fit in." Woe be it to the Republican or Democrat who disagrees with the party line!!!

What each party needs is congressmen with strong opinions and strong speaking skills and a strong sense of self who are strong centrists. A political magnet must be put in the middle to draw others in and create a mood of civility. It is only when congressmen truly have a desire to work with ALL their colleagues that things will improve. They have to relearn how to talk WITH each other rather than AT each other.

If you, as a voter, expect to vote for a congressional or senatorial candidate because of what they can do for you,  your vote for president is irrelevant. If you intend to vote for a congressional or senatorial candidate because of what they can do for the country, maybe then your presidential vote will take on some meaning.