Politics and Such

It was an inspirational year. The pageantry of an inaugural is always uplifting and fills everyone’s
emotions with pride and hope. The inauguration of the first African-American president in our history also
elicits a pride from all, blue or red, because this presidential inauguration sets a precedent for all in the world
to follow and to marvel. It sets the bar higher for other democracies and it makes our visions of ourselves
loftier. For the very briefest time, it rekindles the idealism from our youth that is still alive, it makes us feel
younger, less cynical, and much more hopeful than before.

Pragmatism is the sole philosophy which we can claim as a purely American philosophy; it is a
philosophical movement that is predicated upon the assumption that an ideology or proposition is true if it
works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting
it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism began in the late nineteenth century with Charles
Sanders Peirce and through the early twentieth-century by William James and John Dewey. In politics and
diplomacy terms, it is often termed realpolitik, an idea that politics should focus on considerations of power,
not ideals, morals, or principles. The concept has often been attributed to Otto von Bismarck. Our president is
a pragmatist. I am not sure if I would term his burgeoning presidential policies as being overtly realpolitik, but
I would say that this administration is definitely less idealistic and much more pragmatic than the previous.
Is this good or bad? At this point, it is premature to judge after eleven months, since we have thirty-seven
months to go, but we now know that the president is closer to Bill Clinton in vision than he is to FDR.
Funny thing about pragmatism and dogmatism, the two systems of thought tend to co-exist in
opposite corners. Where once the liberals are the prevailing dogmatists: purveyors of naive and untested
theories coupled with the zeal of true prosletizers, the mantle has been usurped by the conservatives. Whereas
conservatives, who have been stereotyped as hard nosed and money grubbing realists, it is now the liberals
who are political realists and money grubbing.
And there is the Nobel Prize thing. On the one hand, it is a remarkable recognition of a man who,
admittedly, has done nothing of note to deserve the recognition, which he acknowledges. One the other hand,
it is an undisguised slap at the previous occupant of the White House for his antagonism towards anyone who
did not agree with him or send him a campaign check. Diplomacy in principle was an anesthema to him and
his cabal. The collective shock of the announcement was deliciousin what it revealed, the initial bumbling
retorts were classic for their lack of content, reason, or form. Both the right and the left then reverted to form
and resorted to the usual buffoonery and blusteriness. The right blaming the President for being GIVEN the
prize, ignoring the fact that he did not solicit nor campaign for the honor. The implication was that he was
guilty just for being himself. The left, tried mightily to skew their responses along the same line, trying to
justify the award with the thinnest line of logic and culling for accomplishment from the first few months of
a presidency. It is all great fun for a cynic, and particularly pathetic. But I must admit: it is pretty cool to
have a president be given a Nobel Prize.
The passing of Senator Edward Kennedy marks the end of a the patrician politican era in American
politics. A time when noblesse oblige was looked upon as a duty for the haves rather than as a good publicity
move. The man was flawed, but the man was also passionate about public service. He was a natural mentor to
the present president because there was no man more pragmatic, he understood the need to work with those
scross the aisle, and no slight was personal, no dogma was tolerated. To wit, Ted Kennedy’s best legislative
partner was Orrin Hatch, wound as tight as Kennedy was loose. I fear the last chance for partisanship may
have died with Ted Kennedy.

Walking the Walk versus Talking the Talk:

It is much easier to talk the talk than walk the
walk. It is always easier to criticize and kibbitz than it is to take action and do what is right. The thought
has long been a pet peeve, but this year truly brought the thought home. One November eleventh of this
year, our nation was “celebrating” Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, a far more meaningful name. Blustery
politicans perform their dutiful pantomime and recite long memorized homilies of patriotism and appreciation.
Businesses have their obligatory Veteran’s Day sale, trying mightily to reinforce the tenuous lie that saving
mega bucks on that large screen HD television is a meaningful way to memorialize the war dead. Everyone
went to bed happy that night because they spent one 24 hour period paying lip service to compassion and
memorializing those that gave their lives. But, on December 2, a short article was published stating that
veteran suicide rates have risen dramatically in the years since the Afghanistan and Iraq theaters opened. Yet, the article clearly missed the opportunity window. None of the politicians who had so eagerly jumped on the
patriotism bandwagon a few days before were around to press the issue. The general public had shifted their
short term attention to the Thanskgiving Day sales. That is just one example.
This lack of commitment to what is real and full throated commitment to what makes the individual
feel good and look good is not new, it has permeated society for ever. Ever since religion placed emphasis on
good work, the human mind has twisted that bit of altruism into a badge of vanity. Thanksgiving became
about pre-Christmas sales and gluttony. Christmas became about living beyond your means and showing off.
Charity giving became about star filled mega-concerts and black tie dinners. The idea of doing right by doing
right is too obscure and simple, it fell out of favor.
It is time for the obscure to rise up and be observed. Time to walk the walk. Doing what is right
is better than proslytizing and self-promotion. Quiet is better than loud. Doing is better than talking about
doing. Just a thought.