Failed Political Discourse

I'm getting tired of hearing that the Republicans lost the election because they failed to appreciate the changing demographics of America. Strategists keep spouting the opinion that the Republican party must re-tailor its message to appeal more broadly, and judging by their attempt to use Sen. Rubio as their poster-boy last night, this is the direction they're headed.

But this is all at the heart of what has gone wrong with political discourse in the US and Canada.

It hinges on the assumption that parties should design a platform that will strategically appeal to the self-interest of enough individuals, so that the party will be successful in accumulating power to pursue it's own self-interests. We have lost an understanding that our politics must chiefly be about the common good.



The common good is not necessarily what's best for those who voted for you.

The common good is not necessarily what's best for those you would like have vote for you in the next election.

The common good is not necessarily what the majority of the electorate think is best for themselves at a particular period of time.

The common good is not striving for, or protecting the advantage of a particular nation or district at the expense of others. 

The common good is deeply informed by recognition of humanity's place in the universe. We are not alone (I'm not sure about aliens but...). We live in interdependence with all living things, whether we like it or not. Our eating involves the death of other creatures. How we choose to grow and distribute and consume food and resources has profound implications for other humans and creatures on the planet. We cannot afford to insulate ourselves from this reality. Even if the electorate has forgotten these intertwined relationships with the rest of the created world, it is up to our political leaders to govern with mindfulness of these things.

Perhaps the Republican's will learn to better leverage the self-interest of a wider range of people and gain power in the next elections. Perhaps they will learn from the Canada's Stephen Harper, who has managed to convince enough people that his economic philosophy is so necessary that they must prioritize economic self-interest over all other values and virtues. But if they do, it will not be for the better of our world.

IF the Republican's wish to lay claim to religious and moral high-ground, they must return to their shining star - Abraham Lincoln - and make policy choices based on the common good, rather than securing power. Lincoln recognized that slavery was evil for both the slave and the slave holder. He was not just a champion of rights for African-Americans. He recognized that to allow White slave owners to continue, was to allow them to deeply damage their souls and their country.

We need more decisions like this. We need a politics that strives for the common good, even if it costs us our power and privilege. It cost Lincoln not just his power, but his life.