"The Anti-Election"

Sydney M. Williams

Thought of the Day

“The Anti-Election”

October 27, 2010

In six days voters will go to the polls for what could be a “sea change” election. The President has argued that if only he had the time to explain what he was doing voters would endorse his programs. Nancy Pelosi, the embattled Speaker of the House, made a similar plea, coated in arrogance: “We haven’t really gotten the credit for what we have done.” The fact of the matter is that the President has given more speeches explaining his programs than any President in history. The election next Tuesday will be a referendum on the President’s policies. If the Democrats lose the House, as is expected, it will be a refutation, not of him but of his policies. But, should the Republicans take control of the House, they must realize that their victory is not an endorsement of their proposals. This election is not for someone or some ideas; it is a vote against specific acts passed by Congress and signed by the President. It is an anti-campaign, which has made it nastier than usual.

“Blue Dog” Democrats, in some cases, are running against the President, in a rash bid to save their seats, but at the risk of fracturing their Party. Frank Caprio, the Democratic candidate for governor of Rhode Island and not endorsed by the President, in telling him to take his endorsement and “shove it” is but an extreme example of Democratic fratricide. A vituperative spirit is present in all elections, but the level of meanness and anger during this cycle appears elevated. But should that be such a surprise? A number of exogenous events is playing itself out. A credit collapse in the summer of 2007 nearly sent the financial markets into oblivion a year later. Billions of dollars were anted up by the government in a necessary (in my opinion) effort to save the financial system. However, in saving the system they allowed hundreds of bankers on Wall Street to generate unconscionable profits. That should never have happened, but unfortunately time, which might have allowed wisdom to temper action, was not a luxury for those who were then making decisions. The economy caromed into recession, but thankfully with the financial system intact. Today the unemployed combined with the underemployed account for about 25 million Americans – almost one in five working Americans.

Stimulus money went primarily to save or increase jobs at the state and local level – jobs that are mostly unionized and which on average pay better than those in the private sector. The money did not go to visible projects, such as the Interstate Highway System or the TVA. As a result the infrastructure of roads and bridges continues to deteriorate, providing the sense of a third world country. Madison Avenue in New York, for example, one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world, is barely drivable, roughly equivalent to a goat path in Haiti.

This confluence of negative economic events has been made more frightening because of the rise of Islamic fascism, creating a new type of war, but one even more menacing and deadly in its difference from conventional war, because it is civilians who are usually targeted.

What makes this particular moment unique, though, from past stressful times is that the U.S. (and, in fact, most of the West) has had to deal with a plethora of debt, debilitating entitlements, aging populations and contracting economies. The developing world, in stark contrast, is alive with youth, vigor, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude. It is demoralizing for many that the largest economy in the world – the beacon for the poor and unwanted – has become dependent on a country whose economy is less that one third its size. For much of the last two and a half decades, as consumers, we benefitted from an emergent China. Manufactured goods were cheap, and the demand for raw materials had little effect on commodity prices. Today, the very size of their economies and the rapidity of their growth cause them to compete with us for labor and for products as diverse as corn, cotton and copper, raising prices despite feeble economic growth. While deflation hovers and economic prospects appear bleak, confusingly inflation is rising.

But we have been in tough situations before. The country was never as divided as it was during the Civil War when two percent of the population were killed over a four year period. Depressions and recessions have plagued the Country over the years. The Vietnam War divided America seemingly beyond repair, between the young and the old, the rich and the poor and the educated and uneducated. However, the Country survived and prospered. It should do so again.

Watersheds of this magnitude do not happen in a moment, nor do they recover quickly; they progress over years. We live during a time of instant and omnipresent news, immediate analysis from people of every opinion. The ubiquity of the internet is felt by everyone. No matter one’s fears, one can find justification; whatever one’s opinions – no matter how extreme – one can find support. At lunch yesterday a good friend told me a story that a wise elder had passed on to him many years ago. My friend, as a young man, was a workaholic who spent six days a week at his desk. This mentor suggested taking Friday’s off and doing something he had never done before, like working in his garden. He told him to try it for twelve weeks. That was several years ago. My friend told me it changed his life, giving him time for reflection and improving his effectiveness. We cannot all take a day off, but finding time to ruminate allows us to better adapt to the future.

In the meantime the election looms. While many opponents of the President’s policies may not be able to intelligibly articulate their disapproval, they instinctively resist what they sense is a too-intrusive government. This has resulted in angry partisanship, which is reflected in our politicians. Part of the problem is that there is no common enemy – no common grievance that draws us together. The diversity of our people is our great strength, but trying times magnify our differences. The Republicans may win the House and make important strides in the Senate, but humility should be their constant companion, for their victory – if that is the outcome – is not a vote for them, but a vote against the other guy.