It Could Be A Sight To See

Conservative philosopher Joseph de Maistre wrote in 1811 that "every nation gets the government it deserves". I think about that quote and I wonder what we did to deserve this shit show. I think about it a bit longer and I realize that instead of a cataclysmic shift, it has been happening for decades. It began with our dependence on mass media. It happened as a result of an education system unable or unwilling to educate the populace on the role of government. It happened because of the nature of human beings. Those individuals with money, power and influence are loathe to relinquish it and their ability to manipulate the system is indeed possible in a "free" society. The most precious right that we possess is our right to vote and through that, the right to determine the direction this country takes. All too often, however, that right is squandered by the very segment of the population that could benefit most from its exercise. Far too many people in this country just don't vote.

I realize that there are many reasons why people don't vote. They see it as a cumbersome futile process and over the years, apathy has set in on the electorate. If more Americans grew up or lived under  totalitarian or dictatorial systems of government, they would cherish the rights they have and would surly vote whenever they had the opportunity.

For months now, the concept of a "blue wave" in the mid term elections has been a popular talking point on the political landscape. It is true that the party occupying the White House usually loses seats in Congress in the midterms. Since 1934, only three times has the President's party won seats during a mid term election; 1934 during Roosevelt's first term, 1998 in Clinton's second term and 2002 in George W. Bush's first term. The mid terms in many ways are a barometer of the President's performance in office as it is the first national election since a President's inauguration. With all this in mind, the mid term elections of 2018 will be a watershed event. On average, the President's party loses somewhere around 38 seats in Congress so keep that in mind. Anything less than that and I think it would be fair to say that Trump was vindicated and liberals everywhere just need to shut up and take it for the next two years. If the election however plays out like this writer suspects, the Democrats will have a majority in both houses of Congress but less than a super majority.

All signs point to such an event, as Trump is perhaps the most unpopular President since 1900, if not ever. The problem, however is the fact that in most midterm elections only hard core and more conservative voters turn out to cast their ballots. If the social unrest and public anxiety this President has engendered in our society turns to civic responsibility, this election will indeed be the most important election in my lifetime and will be a sight to see.

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