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The contentious, vicious election is over. What did we learn from the results? By "we" I mean the American people, specifically the American voters, because it's clear the two major parties didn't learn anything.
This much we know. Just last month three major polls showed 72-75 percent of Americans believe our country is headed in the wrong direction. We The People are smart enough to know when we are headed in the wrong direction, we turn around. Heck, even our cars can tell us that. But the two parties, on the other hand, are not only headed in the wrong direction, their GPS is broken. It's safe to say when our cars are smarter than our politicians, our country has lost its way.
There is no denying the Democrats had a big win on Tuesday, bigger than the so-called experts could envision. So, I understand the Donkeys are dancing in streets celebrating their victory while the Elephants are slapping their foreheads in disbelief. The sad part in all this is both parties will miss the message Americans shouted out with their votes.
You see, both parties are deaf, dumb and blind. Okay, I know it isn't politically correct to use those terms these days, but it is true, as it simply describes those who are willfully ignorant and oblivious to what is happening around them. It's like the old riddle; "What is deaf, dumb and blind and always tells the truth?" The answer is the mirror, which cannot hear, speak or see, yet reflects reality accurately.
And the reality today is that Americans are not only dissatisfied with the country's direction, they are angry because the federal government isn't giving them what they want, so if the Republicans can't give it to them, they choose Democrats and vice-versa in hope it will change. Well folks, this isn’t working. For the last forty-plus years we have voted to change which party controls Congress nine times and the last twelve presidents, since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, we have changed presidential political parties ten times.
Now here's where the new majority, the Democrats, will mess up. They will misread the tea leaves believing this election proved Americans like what they have been doing. Wrong. This election proves we didn't like what the Republicans were doing, or in some cases not doing. It seems we aren't voting for a party; we are voting against the other party. The problem is we have basically only two choices and they have a monopoly on our elections.
So, who do the Democrats have to thank for their victory? Well, it's not the Democrats, as only 27 percent of all voters identify as Democrats. It's not the Republicans who also represent only 27 percent of the voters. It's not like thousands of Republicans switched to Democrats last week. It's the Independents, now 45 percent of all voters, the Democrats need to thank. But they won't. They won’t even acknowledge this huge block of voters and in fact, they do everything they can to keep Independents off the ballot. Same for the Republicans.
The Independents aren't "married" to either party. They free themselves of political party chains and vote accordingly. And this year, the Independents reflected the mood of the electorate perfectly. They agreed the country was headed in the wrong direction and they changed directions. Simple as that.
So, what are we angry about? Let's start with the obvious. High prices of groceries, gas, healthcare, utilities, insurance, housing, etc. Add in the war in Iran, the corruption in DC, the high interest rates fueled by government overspending, the $40 trillion National Debt Congress has piled onto our grandchildren, and the never-ending political warfare the two parties engage in year after year. Plus the threat of Social Security going insolvent in a few years and of course the everlasting big three, waste fraud and abuse of our hard-earned tax dollars.
The answer to all this is simple, yet difficult at the same time. We want a government that works for us, even though the solutions may be hard, or unpopular. We want the two parties to work together to solve major issues instead of focusing all their energy on winning elections, getting reelected and gaining or regaining power. At this point in time, I believe we don't care which party is in control, evident by our constant switching it up. We just want somebody to get it done.
This is the simple message we send to Washington every two or four years via our votes. This is also the simple message the DC deaf, dumb and blind political parties refuse to hear, see and comprehend.
I will end with a question. With a Congressional approval rating of only 14 percent, meaning over 80 percent of us disapprove of their performance, why do we reelect 90-95 percent of the incumbents, which we did again this year? I am interested in your answer to that question at gregawtry@awtry.com.