Political ramblings: hope for America?

Tomorrow is the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. I don’t expect to watch any of the events or pay a whole lot of attention to them. Barack Obama doesn’t encourage me or offer much hope for America, as far as I’m concerned.

Of course, the Republican Party nominee, John McCain, didn’t offer much either. It was a pretty sad election, I’m afraid, in which the principle choices were two pitiful selections, neither one with any substantive recommendations over the other. It seems that too many people actually believe there is a difference between the two dominant political parties in the US.

The Democrats and the Republicans exist to support one another, and a lot of people seem to believe that one party is preferable to the other. Based upon what they profess as their party platforms, I suppose this is a justifiable belief. However, if you pay attention to what individuals from the two parties actually do, the delineation between them pales. And, these two political organizations have the game rigged so that their candidates receive preferential treatment and access to the ballots, creating a situation in which their candidates are the only “legitimate” ones. If they are each so obviously superior to others, why do they need the systemic advantages they’ve constructed?

I got involved with the local Republican Party last year. I can agree with the foundational and traditional bases of the party and its libertarian roots. I do not agree with its de facto positions as it has rejected its conservative base. My intent was to contribute to efforts to return the Republican Party to its conservative and libertarian roots. Not only in Kentucky, but in many states across the nation, though, the GOP actively, and in violation of its own rules in many cases, resisted efforts to turn the party back to its traditional positions and roots. Change within this venue will be elusive.

I was a delegate to the Republican conventions in my congressional district and the state of Kentucky. The business conducted at each was carefully orchestrated so that voices of dissent would not be heard, let alone be listened to. I didn’t like how the party leadership conducted its business. I guess it’s just politics, but it sure says something when an organization violates its own rules. Most of the time at the conventions was spent listening to individuals tell us about how bad the Democratic Party is and how horrible Obama is. The identity of the Republican Party, as far as I could discern, exists only in opposition to the “dreadfulness” of the Democrats. Why couldn’t they spend time explaining the superiority of the GOP positions and its candidates instead of denigrating the “opposition”? I imagine that the Democratic Party spends their time in a similar manner, but I will never find out first-hand (that holds absolutely no appeal).

Here in Kentucky, and probably most other places, there is a definite team attitude toward one’s political party. The notion is, “My team is good. The other team is bad. I’ll only vote for my team.” This election cycle, very few individuals seemed willing to critically evaluate the “goodness” of their teams candidates. “They represent the team. So, I’m going to vote for them, and so should you,” was the attitude. The nomination of John McCain illustrates just how far the GOP has moved from its roots and the power of the team mentality to thwart critical thought.

In Barack Obama, the voters are getting what they wanted. His election is like a barometer in that it is indicative of the state of things in this country. I don’t see it as a good sign indicating anything to be hopeful about. I am concerned for this nation’s future, and I believe I would’ve been just as concerned if McCain had won (I had no illusions about that possibility, though – I actually think he was the nominee so that Obama would win). True lovers of liberty seem to be outnumbered at this point in time. Some significant dangers lie on the horizon for the USA and the world, and as these draw nigh, the world as we know it is going to change. The 44th President of the US will continue the course of things, building upon the previous dismal decades, providing less real hope for the future.

So, I’ll not waste my time watching the nonsense and getting excited about it. There are things to do and preparations for the future to be made.