The Chasm Grows

The saga of Joe Lieberman raises quite a few questions... and concerns.

On one hand, his constituents may be taking him for granted. For three terms, he has worked tirelessly on their behalf; championing a progressive agenda, embodying the values you seldom find in an elected official, and relying upon the credibility he has built (on both sides of the aisle) to become a leader on national security and homeland security issues. On the other, he has not only championed the Iraq War, but he has become an apologist for a President that is reviled by his constituents. Thus the two schools of thought come into play... Do you remain loyal to the senator who has always represented you well, even though he may have strayed from you on this particular issue? Or, are decisions of war and peace simply too meaningful to leave to a senator who has shown a willingness to vote contrary to the wishes of an overwhelming majority of his constituents?

These questions represent the uphill plight of moderates in democratic politics today. After all, ideology should shape politics, politics should not shape ideology.

During primary elections, political parties and their surrogates pump millions into the coffers of partisan loyalists to ensure defeat of their moderate opponents. This is in spite of the fact that a majority of Americans identify themselves as closer to the center of the political spectrum than either of its extremes. To these power brokers, an empty suit is far more valuable because partisan interests are sure to take a priority each and every time a vote is cast. Over time, party memberships become more polarized, districts are redrawn to further entrench incumbents, the majority party begins to disregard the long-established rights of the minority, trust amongst Members and civility in both Houses deteriorates, and the overall divisiveness in Congress grows. Ultimately, the divisiveness becomes infectious as the populace begins to identify more with their political party, and less with the ideology that initially led them to join that party.

To stop the vicious cycle, we look for principled leadership from both sides but all we find are more attack ads, more partisan puppets, and more and more money being dumped into the system to perpetuate the cycle.

We are also finding less and less Joe Liebermans. Now ask yourself if that's a good thing.