It’s often been said that Democrats want to win the argument, and Republicans want to win the fight.
In this latest gerrymandering spat between Texas and California, it appears as though Democrats are finally interested in fighting the fight. And while this eye-for-an-eye approach among California Democrats certainly equalizes and neutralizes Texan Republicans’ efforts at changing the rules midstream in their favor, the reality is that we are no better off than before.
Politics has become ridden by people who want to win, who want to prove the point that their own world view is the most righteous. Politics has become a game, a sport ruled by elected officials who operate on shortcuts and lack intellectual substance. And we the people are the ones who suffer from this back-and-forth yo-yo effect based on which political party is in control of power.
The Democratic Party is in shambles because it has become consumed by leadership that wants to have cerebral debates over abstract concepts, and the Republican Party brand, vis-à-vis its own leadership, fails to appeal to greater masses because of its fascination with uninformed arrogance. The resulting effect is a citizenry that’s left rudderless and clinging onto whatever is available from the options presented.
Whoever sold us on the idea that politics is about being right and elections are a referendum of those views owes us our money back. Campaigns and elections are an opportunity for candidates to listen to the people and bring us together. A decent leader has a vision and accompanying ideas; but a great leader recognizes that their views are only one dimensional.
To be effective, a leader must remain humble and grounded in knowing that they don’t know everything. Former California Governor Jerry Brown recognized as much when he famously stated, “I know more than most people, but only half of what I need to know.” The late U.S. Senator John McCain regularly worked across the aisle recognizing the merits of his political opposition. These admirable leaders opened themselves to learning from other points of view. Why do we celebrate and champion racial and ethnic diversity, but fail to do the same when it comes to diversity of thought?
We all hold beliefs rooted in our convictions, and that is beautiful. But that’s also only part of the equation. There also exists the part where, similarly to us, other people hold their own beliefs rooted in their own convictions, and that doesn’t make them any more or less human. We must do our best to work together and make our nation a better place – and that is done by endorsing a world view that is reflective of many perspectives. E Pluribus Unum.
But if we continue to elect highly partisan candidates, then we will continue to erode and slide further into a nation deeply divided into silos. Political polarization is born under extremism; and extremism thrives on division, which ultimately results in a lesser perfect Union.
These gerrymandering tactics are nothing more than cheap political ploys, and if you endorse them, then you are a part of the problem, too. If we seek an alternative path to the divisiveness we are collectively being pulled into, then we must start humanizing each other and understand that no one set of political beliefs are superior to another. Rather, we must use our own political beliefs as the starting point from which we work collaboratively to make our country, and by extension the world, a better and more inclusive place – for that, is the true promise of America.
Fabián Naranjo González holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Southern California with a specialization in race and ethnic politics, U.S. campaigns and elections and elite political behavior. He lives in Pomona.
