Most of us are disappointed in this election. Some of that disappointment is the inevitable difference between political promises and the unfolding reality after the campaign. Part of our disappointment is because we misunderstand what democracy offers us.
We never elect our ideal man. Democracy doesn’t give us a candidate with the perfect attributes we want. Far from it. Instead, democracy allows us to choose between candidates with the attributes they have. Democracy is a chance to reject the most flawed candidate. That is important.
I ask you to look back and see what caused you to vote for a particular person or party. We complain that the candidates are for sale, but too often, so are we. Frequently, we take the easy course of action. We let each candidate and the media define himself and his opponent. We reject the hard work of studying the candidate until we see how his actions revealed his character.
Did we vote for the man or the media myth? To whom does the politician owe his allegiance, to the voters or to his campaign donors? Is the elected politician morally bound to fulfill the promises he made to us, or does the candidate owe the special interests and the media elites who sold the candidate to the voters? The answer is up to us.
Turning away from the faults of our system of government, let’s turn to the human heart. Why did you as an individual vote for a particular candidate? Was it after careful study, deliberation, and consultation with people you respect? Did you vote for the candidate who would let you and your neighbors work hard and prosper? Perhaps you voted for the candidate your friends liked. Perhaps you did the calculus and voted for the candidate who promised you something for nothing. When the government becomes Santa Clause, then whose livelihood was robbed to make the fat man so rich? Whose blood is on the fat man’s suit?
You have those answers on the tip of your tongue. Your choices guide how you feel today as the election hangs on a thread.
Did you chose your candidate
or did you fall for the sales pitch?
Many of our elites wanted to elect someone like themselves. They want a friendly candidate who wears a knowing smile as he lies to us. The elites think a dishonest politician is easily manipulated and most likely to give them what they want. History is on their side.
The bigger our government gets, the more money and power is at stake. Members of the elite ruling class like Michael Bloomberg, George Soros and Xi Jinping spent tens of millions of dollars on a candidate because they expect a return on their investment. That means our vote counts less and less. That means our freedom and our taxes are sold to the highest bidder.
It is a bitter truth, that democracy gives the voters what they asked for.. good and hard. I hope we can bear it.
