As this year’s presidential election looms ever nearer, it’s been astounding to see the level of rancor and vitriol expressed by those on both the right and the left toward one another. Though not historically unusual, I believe this behavior is undercutting our ability to objectively analyze the challenges we currently face as a nation, and develop intelligent, effective solutions.
Back in the 90’s I remember hearing a conservative radio talk show host vehemently criticize the involvement of the United States in the Bosnian conflict in 1995. While enumerating his criticisms of President Clinton’s decision to intervene in the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims, this particular commentator focused on the following:
- The fact that the Clinton administration had not done more to secure the support and cooperation of the international community.
- The lack of a clearly defined “interest” by the United States in the outcome of the struggle.
- The fact that the struggle between the Serbians and the Bosnian Muslims was an ethnic conflict; once we successfully stopped the Serbs from attacking the Muslims, we found ourselves trying to stop the Muslims from retaliating against the Serbs.
- The absence of a clear exit strategy.
- The concern that this conflict, and others, was spreading our military too thin, thus compromising our readiness to deal with other threats.
Hmmmm…as one takes a cursory glance at this critique it seems to bare a striking resemblance to many of the concerns people have today about the war in Iraq - yet to hear this same radio commentator speak about the current war one might be led to believe that these concerns were no big deal. When evaluating the effectiveness of President Clinton and President Bush, this particular talk show host did a complete 180° in his appraisal of successful military policy.
Obviously, there are numerous significant differences between the Bosnian War of the 90’s and the current Iraq War; I’m sure that plenty of people reading this article could intelligently explain the inadequacies of a Bosnia/Iraq comparison. Unfortunately, there are many who couldn’t. Instead, many who have strong opinions about our current foreign policy adhere to the simple mathematical formulas demonstrated below:
I’m a Republican + I like George W. Bush = Iraq War Good
<or>
I’m a Democrat + I hate George W. Bush = Iraq War Bad
It is this predetermined support or disdain for a given policy based solely upon one’s political affiliation which frightens me. The blind loyalty that many people have for a particular party is so strong that it could be considered a form of religious devotion. This party-centric philosophy trumps practical concerns - opinions about policy are based not on rigorous examination, but simply on the source from whence they come.
The greatest problem with party-centric politics is that politicians benefit at the expense of the people. Both the Republican Party and Democratic Party have done a wonderful job of demonizing each another. The hateful rhetoric spewed by both sides has largely divided this nation along an “us v. them” fault line; those on one side of the line refuse to accept that anything good could possibly come from those on the other. Furthermore, the zealous advocates on either side refuse to acknowledge the flaws and inadequacies of the politicians who represent them - afraid of giving ground to “the others”. Thus, politicians can secure the loyalty of their acolytes without actually delivering on their promises, or even adhering to the ideology they claim to hold sacred.
Party affiliation isn’t inherently evil; but our primary loyalty should be to a clearly defined set of principles. Rather than adjusting our beliefs to reflect the behavior or attitudes of a particular party, we should instead determine our loyalty by discovering which group which best emulates the principles we already believe. If more people abandon their blind loyalty to a given party, politicians will face greater accountability for their actions.
Ultimately, many of the problems which exist in our current political process rest with us - the people. If politicians feed us fluff instead of substance, it’s because we’ve made ourselves more susceptible to fluff. By taking the time to study the issues which affect our nation (and to even identify the location of countries like Iraq and Iran on a world map) we will elevate the level of political dialogue in this country beyond mere hate speech, and effectively tackle the issues necessary to secure our prosperity in the 21st century.
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May 7th, 2008 at 11:36 am
[...] Sovereign77x wrote an interesting post today on Integrity of Political OpinionHere’s a quick excerptObviously, there are numerous significant differences between the Bosnian War of the 90’s and the current Iraq War; I’m sure that plenty of people reading this article could intelligently explain the inadequacies of a Bosnia/Iraq … [...]
May 7th, 2008 at 11:51 am
[...] Sovereign77x wrote an interesting post today on Integrity of Political OpinionHere’s a quick excerptUnfortunately, there are many who couldn’t. Instead, many who have strong opinions about our current foreign policy adhere to the simple mathematical formulas demonstrated below:. I’ma Republican + I like George W. Bush = Iraq War Good … [...]
August 6th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
the 90’s politicsIntegrity of Political Opinion