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Be proud, Americans. You live in a country that long ago rejected a monarchy and went in the generally democratic direction. Our revolution was the first of its kind in our hemisphere and a complete shock to Europe, which still hasn’t completely shaken off its kings and queens. It’s time to take another plunge — actually participating in our democracy. The frenzies we call presidential elections are great entertainment, but to think that the American people rise up every four years to change the country’s future is dead wrong. We’re hooked on fake politics and in desperate need of the real deal.
I focus on presidents precisely because they don’t matter. Through all the changes in the occupancy of the White House, and through all the election campaigns that are made to feel like turning points in history, the U.S. continues on the same path. America’s productivity keeps going higher while their wages remain at the mercy of the economy. The U.S. military intervenes all around the globe dozens of times a year, while our presidents get the occasional Nobel Peace Prize. We find ourselves in this rut because we don’t elect policymakers during presidential elections, we elect figureheads.
Ronald Reagan’s fan club is one of the weirder examples of this pattern. Amazon can list more than 30 books about him that were published since the beginning of last year, a decade after his death. He was the first in the era of the celebrity president, one who probably didn’t have much of a clue what his administration was doing. It’s hard to believe that a former actor and spokesman could handle waging multiple wars in Central America, for example. He was charming, though, and perfect for the role of duping the public into supporting a range of insane policies. Only a seasoned actor could convince a nation with 12 million poor children that welfare was destroying families while keeping a straight face.
Our modern celebrity presidents really, really want us to know that they’re religious. Even cheating on your spouse puts you at an advantage over an atheist candidate, according to a recent Pew poll. That climate has led to such oddities as Bill Clinton attending church regularly during his presidency (maybe not enough, given his small handful of sex scandals). During his 1994 State of the Union address, he even suggested that everybody start attending church as well.
George W. Bush, a graduate of Harvard and Yale, became a born-again Christian at around age 40. Maybe that’s also when he picked up his cowboy image that had worked so well for Teddy Roosevelt and other past politicians. It’s unlikely that George made it through two Ivy League schools without a basic knowledge of grammar, but the Texas drawl probably seemed like a good idea to whoever was handling his public relations. Bush later allegedly said that God told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, but in a country where 70 percent of people believe in a literal devil, is that really such an embarrassing thing to say?
Clearly, the celebrity atmosphere surrounding presidents is an insult to our intelligence. We live in the most powerful country on Earth, yet we limit ourselves to choosing between a select few presidential candidates every four years. Even worse, our political climate makes our few choices irrational ones. Was it of life-or-death importance that Barack Obama used drugs when he was young, or that he didn’t wear a flag lapel pin at some point during his first campaign in 2008? Were there not more pressing matters for the media to discuss?
As we head into another campaign season, we should do it with the knowledge that democracy should not be dusted off every couple of Novembers. It just might have to be a year-round activity for anyone left chronically disappointed. You won’t be alone if you choose to take the activist route. More than 400,000 people showed up for the People’s Climate March in New York City in September, no doubt putting pressure on the world leaders who would soon convene at the UN for carbon pollution talks. Internet activism led to a victory for net neutrality this week — broadband internet will start being treated like a public utility, a crucial step in democratizing the internet. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission recognized the effect we had on that decision.“Your participation has made this the most open process in FCC history,” Tom Wheeler, the FCC chairman, said. “We listened and we learned.” Doesn’t changing policy yourself feel so much better than watching your favorite candidate’s victory speech?
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jared Conner at jared.conner@colorado.edu.
