The Story
Keeping American Politics in Perspective
After the recent U.S President election, I found that many Democratic students were what I considered to be overly angry about Bush’s win. I heard comments such as , “How could Americans be so stupid!” and “That’s it, I’m moving to Canada!”
While I too voted for Kerry, my reaction to the election was quite different. For the first time in a long time I felt proud to be an American. I was proud not because Bush won, but because of the sheer number of people that turned out to vote. The 2000 election debacle had shattered my faith in American democracy. But the 2004 Presidential election restored my faith.
Seeing the highest voter participation in years showed me how American democracy is supposed to work. And it reminded me of what a great system we have. Those who think American democracy failed in 2004 need to take a wider look at the world. For example, look at the political controversy surrounding Ukraine’s recent Presidential election.
The political debacle surrounding Ukraine’s recent Presidential election makes the United States’ 2000 election look like a well-oiled machine. Massive fraud during the November 21st vote and the poisoning of opposition party leader Victor Yushchenko brought the former Soviet Republic close to the point of political revolution. Watching on television thousands upon thousand of Yushchenko supporters marching through the streets of Kiev made me realize how good citizens of the United States have it. While Michael Moore’s controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11 did point out some serious problems in Bush administration policies, such problems pale in comparison to what Ukrainian citizens have faced in recent months.
Despite voting irregularities in key battleground states such as Ohio, there is little to no evidence to suggest that such irregularities were a result of a vast GOP conspiracy to disenfranchise potential Democratic voters. And most political analysts agree that voting irregularities did not affect the overall outcome of the election. And even the most extreme conspiracy theorist would agree that no one tried to poison John Kerry.
I am not saying that because I believe the system we have does not require reform. On the contrary, I believe that a true patriot seeks out the flaws in his or her nation and works to correct them. The varying voting methods from state to state only hinder national elections. Congress needs to create a single national voting standard as soon as possible, either by using its power of the purse, or by passing a constitutional amendment. And while voter participation increased across the board, percentage-wise it stayed the same among youth voters.
The youth of America today have to stop thinking of politics as a dirty word and begin fulfilling their responsibilities as citizens. Finally, while the Bush administration did achieve a clear victory, they did not win by much, and in my opinion have no clear mandate from the people.
If the President wants to end the greater polarization in American politics today, he needs to realize that one of the greatest traditions in American politics is compromise. Thanks to the tradition of the rule of law in this country, it is unlikely that Americans will have to resort to popular protest to resolve a blatantly corrupt election.
Americans must keep things in perspective and take a balanced approach to solving the political troubles that face our nation.
William Roberts is a staff columnist for the DSJ. His views do not necessarily represent those of the entire staff.