Political Gain

From CNN, today:

“They want to win the White House more than they want to win the war, and our enemies know it,” charged House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas.

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It had to be said, and thank god Tom DeLay and his friends had the guts to stand up and say it.

There’s a dangerous trend at work in the country today. Some shameless activists are trying to point to the actual actions of the administration as a tool to convince the American public that they ought to vote for someone else this fall. If this trend isn’t stopped, it could hinder the war effort and have dire implications for our democracy.

Responsible public figures like DeLay know that this is not what politics should be about. Politics are about invoking God and Country, twisting the statements of your opponent into universally deplorable contexts, and making sweeping allegations about the intentions and patriotism of the other party. That’s how the game works, and it’s been that way for years.

If we let subversive types start injecting the political dialog with facts, photos, and genuine scandals, we’re entering onto a slippery slope. Soon, the Bush administration’s entire record - the economic irresponsibility, the environmental rapacity, the deceitful build-up and inept planning of an unnecessary war, and the pattern of disdain for any sort of international law (including the Geneva Convention) that has led to and abetted this current horror - the entire record may become fodder for partisan politics.

Is that the America we want to live in? An America where a disempowered party can point to the grievous mistakes of the administration in a naked attempt to get votes and change the course that the nation is on? An America where politicians can shamelessly exploit events by assigning responsibility and demanding change? An America where the the Commander in Chief of the armed forces is somehow held responsible for the acts of the military? And required to serve at the pleasure of the voting public? Is that the America we want?

Not me. And not Tom DeLay. He’s right to point out that our enemies perceive this dangerous weakness. What if the enemies of America start getting the idea that any American regime can be brought down by the opposition party making arguments based on the policies and actions of the government? How can we create American-style democracies overseas when we’re openly questioning our elected leaders right here at home?

No, politics are a dirty, childish game, and if we allow that to change, we risk everything. Look at what these Democrats are doing right now: They have completely failed to twist the facts, indict the Republican party as a whole, or leap to unwarranted conclusions! They haven’t even questioned the patriotism of their rivals. They’re simply pointing to the photos and accounts of the horrible abuses at Abu Ghraib and implying that some of the blame might lie with the leadership!

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this sort of thing could end up influencing November’s election if we’re not careful. So let’s be careful. Write your Congressman today and tell him or her that you will not stand for the shameless injection of important events into the political process. The fate and future of our democracy is at stake.