Independence Minnesota

I guess the real questions you have to ask yourself when deciding where you will be politically active is how bad you think the problem is and where you think the best chance for reform lies? (not the image of reform, but the real reform). I believe that we are not in another political cycle, but are instead in paradigm shifting decline if our country does not act now.

 

How did I learn about the harm coming to our country? …from Paul Tsongas when I was a 17 year old college student in Iowa, from Dean Barkley and Ross Perot in the 1990’s, from John McCain as a real maverick in 2000, from Tim Penny who has to be the most well-rounded person in politics today, and certainly from the Jims. They all pointed to something really dangerous, but always spoke with optimism that our country could fix it. Back then their concern about debt, the decline in civility, and sacrificing our future was more distant. They all offered solutions…real honest ones actually. It is unfortunate that their path was not chosen because now we can actually see the storm clouds on the horizon (but they are still far enought to do something about it).

 

Over the past many years the instigators of the storm have adopted marketing language that would put any retailer to shame….independence, reform, change are all touted. The failure of this reform is not because these are bad people (a few are), but because they participate in a political system which has become cancerous by nature. They can’t make reform….it’s not what got them elected.

 

My experience has been that the real reformers in both parties have truly come from the more independent wings by-in-large. As big "I" Independents we are often reminded that we should support those reformers within the two parties. The thing of it is….when the right wing RepublicanS rejoiced at their destruction of Democrats at the polls in 2002 they celebrated the destruction of moderate Democrats, not the leftists they despised. In 2008 the same thing happened…in reverse…every moderate Republican left paid for the sins of George W. Bush in the election…to the gleeful cheer of democrat partisans (as the black clouds were rolling in). A politics professor of mine from Iowa, David Loebsack, beat the Republican congressional incumbent in 2006. National Democrats hailed it as a defeat of Bush extremism…that they really socked it to them. The guy beaten was Jim Leach, a Ford Republican who refused all PAC money and refused to ever run a negative ad. He was called out of touch...he was actually shy and thought about his words carefully. He was hanged on Iraq. He voted against it. I supported him while supporting Paul Tsongas. His defeat was absolutely disgusting in my view and a symptom of the political gamers who have no soul.

 

At the federal level I also appreciate the Libertarian bent (I am kind of a federalist in philosophy). What happened to Ron Paul?…he got screwed! Then I am led to believe that he will rebuild the Republican Party from the ashes….and who gets elected chair in Minnesota….Tony Sutton.

 

There can be exceptions…but they are rare. Tim Walz is one…but he, by himself, is oversold as the redemption of party politics in America. It is almost as though he fits into the marketing plan.

 

So enough about the Dems and Republicans….we can start talking about them when they fix the problems and stop whining that they need one more seat to save us from the other.  

 

What do we stand for? We have a strong federalist bent in our platform (weaker fed, stronger state, local government). We also have many ideas and solutions that the Democratic and Republican blogosphere never understood because they are too busy destroying each other. What matters most, however, is something that I have never had any confusion about and am quite certain of. Talking to John Anderson two years a go confirmed it for me.

 

There are common American ideals. By being here and living here we accept them and believe in them. While the Democrats and Republicans have woven these ideals into their marketing plans, they forgot about the things that make those ideals come true…honesty, sincerity, and humility….American and Midwestern virtues. The ugly methods always present in party politics, but now increasingly used like a growing cancer, make it impossible for the Democrats and Republicans to reform our great country….they can’t govern….it is as simple as that.

 

My political participation will be devoted to the ideals I respect…not to the game. The IP naiveté about getting elected is countered by our realism that governing cannot go on much longer like it has. The Democrat and Republican naiveté about that is costing jobs, futures, communities and our country dearly. It’s time that they stop destroying the reformers and look in the mirror.