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The Common Good

April 26th, 2006 | by Dr. Forbush |

There has been a lot of criticism of the Democrats as of late. Why haven’t the Democrats seized the moment and kicked some Republican ass? People who ask this question don’t understand the fundamental nature of the two political parties in America today.

If there is one unifying factor of the Democrats today it is the goal to reach a government that is for the “Common Good” of the American people. Since America is a diverse country there are many different groups that seek power by unifying under the umbrella of the Democratic Party. Power is found in unity and working together to solve diverse problem is in the common interest of Americans everywhere.

Unfortunately, working for the “Common Good” is a complex message that doesn’t play well in sound bites.

Republicans see the unification of these diverse groups as a threat to the status quo. This might not seem clear at first, but it becomes clear when we look at what the status quo is, and how the Republicans use various means to maintain the status quo.

The status quo in America is that there are a small number of very wealthy capitalists that control much of what America does. These wealthy capitalists became capitalists by acquiring vast sums of money through inheritance and believe that they deserve to be calling the shots. It is exceedingly rare for a common person to do what Bill Gates did and break into the group of top one percent of the wealthy Americans who control the Republican Party. Of course, one should be careful to remember that these wealthy Republicans are by no means all of the wealthy Americans in the top one percent. They are the wealthy Americans that “fear” losing their money and power. There are many wealthy Americans that have a different view of their wealth and they tend to contribute to charities and believe in the “Common Good” of America. People with these resources and these beliefs largely tend to be supporters of the Democrats.

The key once again is the goal of somehow achieving the “Common Good” for the American people, not just the wealthy upper class that seeks to protect their privileged status.

The problem with this noble goal is that seeking the “Common Good” does not always raise the funds needed to run a successful campaign. The people who see this goal as an important (meaning: positively life changing) issue are the people that have been taken advantage of in one way or another. People who are on the top of the heap tend to have expendable income they are willing to contribute to political causes. People who are being crushed by the heap are doing everything they can just to get by.

In order to raise money to support the goal of establishing a “Common Good” for “all” Americans the Democrats have approached organizations representing people who have high proportions those who have been abused by the current system. These groups are organized by common interest, like most groups are. Some examples of these organizations are NAACP, teachers unions, Teamsters, United Farm Workers and similar groups. These groups have traditionally fought for fairness and rights for their members. And, like any organized group they seek to get as much as they can. It isn’t their job to worry about their effect on other workers or other groups. So, these groups contribute to Democrats in order to get their voices heard.

Democrats, like any political group, find themselves facing the problems associated with conflict of interest from time to time. Democrats stand for the “Common Good” of all Americans, and the take money from people who seek to remedy the shortcomings of the current system. But, some of the shortcomings are worse than other shortcomings. Some solutions to the shortcomings affect members who contribute to the overall cause. Democrats tend to be successful Democrats when they understand the nuance of the many complex issues that affect all of the different groups of Americans.

One would think that a politician who understands the nuance of the issues would be the type of politicians that every American would like for their leaders. But, not everyone cares about others. Especially people who have been raised in homogeneous environments. If you don’t experience different people, then you are not likely to care what happens to them. People with this attitude don’t believe in the “Common Good” for all Americans. Instead, they seek the common good for their particular group. The leaders of the Republican Party have seized this and used it for their advantage. Since the main goal of the Republican elite is to maintain the status quo they solicit their message to people who are doing reasonably well and they wish to maintain the status quo. However, even this group isn’t large enough to elect Republicans at every election. The problem is that this group of satisfied people changes depending on the economy, and in bad times Republicans could not be elected because this group grows very small.

So, Republicans have resorted to tactics to attract larger groups of people to their party. They have sought people who wish to maintain the status quo in many different ways, including social issues. They have sought religious people who have felt that society has grown less religious. So, they appeal to these people to win votes and they promise to return the country to the religious authority of years gone by. They create a vision of times past where everyone did the “right thing” because they followed the law — the divine law. The vision of everyone doing the “right thing” tends to keep people from questioning whether society is working for the “Common Good.” The directors of the Republican Party know that pursuing the “Common Good” is not good for the wealthy, because it brings up questions of fairness in education, potential jobs and ability to reach the affluence that Republicans sell as the American Dream.

The final strategy of the Republican Party is use fear and ignorance of the electorate to their advantage. Fear and ignorance prevent people from questioning the status quo. Fear and ignorance make people afraid to question authority. Fear and ignorance prevent society from reaching the Democrats goal of a “Common Good” for all Americans.

So, if the Democrats have any hope of getting a unified message out to the general public it need to be in the form of sound bites promoting the “Common Good” of “all” Americans. The “Common Good” means a clean environment for all Americans. The “Common Good” means potential for a good education for all Americans. The “Common Good” means unification of diverse groups seeking to make a better America for all.

Cross Posted @ Bring It On, tblog, Blogger and BlogSpirit

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