The nation's consciousness

The current modified banner at the top of The Politico captures what's ailing this nation perfectly. For those who don't want to click, I'll tell you what its website says:

"THE POLITICO: AN ANNA NICOLE-FREE ZONE"

They then include an asterisk with a humorous disclaimer:

"UNLESS THE FATHER TURNS OUT TO BE A POLITICIAN."

Well said. Again, I think this is a brilliant illustration of why the state of political affairs in the United States is such a mess right now. In a democracy, the President is not the boss. The people themselves are the ones with all the power because it is they who can decide who will lead them and for how long. No matter how powerful a politician may be or how much money and influence he has, he is ultimately accountable to the people he represents, and these people can easily stop him dead in his tracks. Just ask George Allen, Gray Davis, and Jimmy Carter.

But unfortunately, our nation's citizens seem to have entered a profound slumber. I'm not sure when it started, although I think it has gotten much worse since the advent of the 90s, which brought us Tonya Harding and OJ. People have become addicted to celebrities and demonstrate a greater knowledge of and appetite for scandals of no consequence than issues that actually relate to how they live. It bothers me when people can name six contestants on American Idol or six previous boyfriends of some Hollywood movie star, but can't name the six countries involved in the "Six Party Talks."

At a time when President Bush wants to send thousands more troops to Iraq, Americans seem more concerned with sensational nonstories like the Anna Nicole paternity circus. Last month, the Iraqi government made promises that there would be a certain number of brigades ready to assume their military responsibilities (or to use Bush parlance, "stand up") in Baghdad by mid-February. But nobody was listening at the time because everyone was fixated on the "Astronut's" botched kidnapping attempt.

Now the 2008 presidential cycle is kicking into high gear and it seems that most people don't even know who's running. Well, they generally know five of the candidates (Clinton, Edwards, Giuliani, McCain, and Obama), but they don't really know what differentiates them from each other. What a terrible disservice to their country! They know nothing of the lower-tier candidates, many of whom have attractive resumes and well-thought out policy positions. But because they are flying beneath the radar or aren't national figures, their campaigns are at a greater risk of running out of money and shutting down. As a result, the last candidates still standing will likely be the best-funded ones and not necessarily the best qualified or most electable ones.

In 2004, I heard and read so many criticisms among voters about their electoral choices. "Do you really mean to tell me that the bumbling George W. Bush and the weathervane John F. Kerry are the best this nation has to offer?" Well, if people spend more time watching American Idol than the evening news, that's what happens. Until people start taking their citizen responsibilities more seriously, they will have to contend with politicians who are ill-equipped to handle the rigors of elective office. It's not even just about the presidential elections, by the way. It's about Senate and House races, mayoral races, statewide races, school board races, and even races for the local dogcatcher.

Case in point: Did you know that the new governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons, is being dogged by accusations that he assaulted a woman in a parking garage? These allegations surfaced right before the November elections, but not everybody was paying attention, perhaps because of John Kerry's "botched joke." Either way, Nevadans now have to contend with a governor who embarrasses their state for up to four years because they either had misplaced priorities or simply couldn't be bothered to show up at the polls.

Every once in a while, something happens that jolts the electorate back into consciousness. September 11 and Hurricane Katrina are perfect examples of this because they showed that elections have consequences. They showed that the people in charge are the ones we have to rely on when the bombs are falling or when the levees are breaking, so we better have confidence in their leadership. And if we can't trust them in that regard, then we better not give them the chance to mess things up by putting them into an office for which they aren't qualified. But because they don't do this, they end up just rolling with the punches that their government gives them (Iraq, high gas prices, a busted budget, no solutions to illegal immigration, etc.) and then complain about how "Washington is so dysfunctional" and how "all politicians are liars." Little do these people know that their own apathy is what helped create this problem to begin with and is what sustains it today.

I'm not saying everyone needs to read the Washington Post for two hours a day or major in political science at a university. However, I think citizens should take more responsibility for how their democracy operates by at least paying some degree of attention to what's happening in the world occasionally. Find out who your congressman is and write him a letter. Attend a local city council meeting. Write a letter to the editor of your hometown newspaper. Read a campaign brochure. Register to vote. Just do something.

Unless America wakes up soon, I fear that we would become a nation of sitting ducks, should we ever be invaded by a foreign power. We may have a strong military and amazing smart bombs and guided missiles and whatnot. But beneath that gaunt and hardy exosxeleton is a very soft, apathetic, and undisciplined core. It's already being exploited by those who lead this nation and it's only a matter of time before it can be exploited by someone hostile to this nation's interests.