The More Things Change…

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” ~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

The recent Presidential race literally embodies this quote. There has been more dialogue on this subject on social media than in any non-leap year, so I’ll give in to peer pressure and chime in.

I didn’t have a candidate of preference in this election.  Maybe this is just a moderate position, but both candidates had good things to say about their own platforms. However, instead of having attention be focused on how progress can be made, candidates often spent more time “proofreading” the opposing candidates’ plans and pointing out their flaws.

Additionally, much of the citizen-based rhetoric in the days leading up to and the days following the election has been focused on either who is to blame for the current state of the country or on how flawed the plans are of a non-desirable candidate. In fact, a bystander can usually tell which candidate that a citizen is voting for based on which candidate is being mentioned… and the citizen will invariably vote for the unmentioned candidate.

There are some positives to be mentioned, however, in regards to politics. First, the American citizen has the right to speak freely about her/his beliefs, and many exercise the right to do so. Second, the Presidential election provides an event where problem-solving skills can make their way to the forefront of the United States agenda.

One main issue still exists: citizens and politicians alike tend to err to the side of mudslinging, blame-shifting, and negativity rather than progress, problem-solving, and positivity.

Does the population reflect its politicians, where the American people engage in blame-game behaviors as a result of political dialogue? Or do politicians simply reflect the greater desires of the American public and simply supply what the American people demand? CNN once published a story depicting the political tactics, and subsequent negative focus, of the Presidential race between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The store can be read here, but suffice it to say that negative campaigning has been a part of American history for generations.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. And they will continue to stay the same in the political realm until the American people band together, put all egos aside, and seek to progress rather than denigrate. Only then will anything substantially change.