What if we were to supplant the political party theory with free market economics that runs American business? Say we subjected it to Adam Smith's invisible hand, and threw it upon the rocky demands of the American consumer, how long would this theoretical business last? I would wager one holiday shopping season and be thrown out via discount isles and ten for one deals in the new year. America, as we are taught, more than any other country in the world, is constructed on diversity, difference of opinion, and independence of choice and action. We like to pick and pull, to manufacture a lifestyles unique to ourselves, and symmetric to no one else. America's essence is being able to pick what you want for lunch, and then what you want to drink with it. Yet, in the ultimate option, the allegiance we must make that carves and steers our collective direction more so than any other, government, we are faced with the equivalent of black or white, with grey being only a novelty and far from effective.
What if we had a wizard to help us with our decision, likened to those that help us install our Itunes and update our web browsers. Imagine that via this browser, we could customize, select, and tweak all of our preferences for political representation. Each man and woman creating a profile shaped to our exact specifications and selected to optimize our values, ethics and goals with the end goal being, basically, to properly inform every citizen on who they should cast their vote to support. We have all taken the "What Animal are you?" quizzes on Facebook, or via e-mail, where we answer an over extended set of arbitrary questions which formulate an exact species meant to mirror our inner selves. Now transfer this over to the over complex, clouded, frustratingly simple task of aligning ourselves with a candidate, one who is true of what we want and desire in our America. Frankly, I believe most Americans, most importantly those who do not vote, simply do not know, nor understand how to make the choices which they believe in.
Gone would be the smoke and mirrors of campaigns, commercials, debates, tight rope walking on difficult issues, aiming to please most and perturbing all. Maybe we all need a little help to read the road map of the Columbia district instead of relying on preprogrammed tom tom's that always seem to lead us back to where we never wanted to be.
Of course, this would dynamite the apple cart. The party system of American politics is an art form, perfected via repetitiveness. It straddles the sweet spot of our cerebral abilities, luring the naive and brilliant alike. We clash on so much, we rant and yelp and holler and vehemently abhor, and then elect the leaders who have differentiated themselves the least by sanding down every rough edge upon them until no one is subjected to a splinter. In some cases even, we allow those who not so long ago we admonished to return to positions (see CA elections) to have second cracks at bat, clinging to hopes that through past error, correct objectives and paths may be forged. Our president recently passed a tax bill that incensed countless within his party, and yet, the irony here is that this act of betrayal, of compromise, is being called by many the reason by which he will earn re-election.
We are all each but one, yet if we review and formulate our personal preferences for governmental policy I can't help but wager that when it comes to issues at hand, most would find themselves picking and pulling from both parties more frequently than a shopping spree contestant. So then who represents me? Who represents you? Neither candidate exactly of course. The average American is a hybrid of governmental policy and alignment, and those that say they only bleed red or blue are simply blind to the sacrificial conformation they are allowing through their way of political allegiance. The question for those in power becomes who can piss off the least. Who can twist and contort their intended actions most effectively so as to confuse, and persuade more of the voting demographic than the opponent.
If only politics followed the models of business. Today's consumer, through multitudes of media, effects and dictates the supplier more than ever before. Products are constructed to exact wants and needs. Options are available, you can get what you want. If a product does not fit your prerequisites, another will. It is not the consumer who must bend his desires, curb his or her needs. Rather it is the multi national conglomerate who must ensure that they do everything within their power to properly represent their clients specifications or risk forever losing them to the next guy, and today more often the little guy, around the corner, who IS willing to tailor his services for them is the one who will earn the business.
Politics lacks bankruptcy, mergers, acquisitions and free market supply and demand. Instead, as a people, we are still subjected to the mercy of the parties, forced to align ourselves often with a team whose proverbial coach we don't like. They call the shots, and we must line up or risk being left out altogether. Perhaps one day things will change, choices will be abundant and our visions will be what we hoped they would. Until then, we must roll the dice on what each one of us feels is the lesser of two evils and pray we simply don't come up snake eyes.
