It has been a few weeks since I awarded my ‘Founding Fathers Award’ to anyone and in light of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to leave the Republican Party; I hereby award him my ‘Founding Fathers Award’. He has decided not to affiliate himself with anyone party and I do suspect that there is a growing number of Americans who are feeling the same way. Come to think of it, I just recently left the Democratic Party and I too am not affiliated with anyone party. Like the mayor I too have been a member of both parties and see a paralysis in government which is caused mainly by those who play party politics.
In a Gallup Poll recently taken those that declared themselves to be independent stands at 38 percent. This poll also reported that 27 percent declared themselves Republican and 34 percent Democrat.
Just yesterday on Lou Dobbs he took an online poll which asked: “When it comes to political affiliation, we'd like to know where you stand. Do you consider yourself to be Republican, Democrat or Independent?” You will see by going to his transcripts that 71 percent declared themselves independent.
While some do suspect that this move by the mayor is his laying the foundation for an independent run for the presidency, he has flatly denied it. In a speech on Monday given at University of Southern California he stated, "The politics of partisanship and the resulting inaction and excuses have paralyzed decision-making, primarily at the federal level, and the big issues of the day are not being addressed, leaving our future in jeopardy,"
Should he decide to run, I will be listening since I am a fan of the mayor.
In reading the Encyclopedia Britannica two of our founding fathers namely George Washington and Alexander Hamilton “were opposed to the segregation of the government that political parties created.” I wonder what their opinion would be today as political parties have only divided us. By the way, our founders were geniuses compared to what we have leading our country today.
On various lists, I will see Democrats referred to as Demorats and leftists. On other lists, I will see Republicans referred to as Rethuglicans and Repugs. I do think that both Washington and Hamilton would have turned away in disgust at this lack of civility especially when we are all confronted with serious matters.
As President Bush attended the G-8 Summit, the Senate took up the immigration bill also referred to as the ‘Grand Compromise’ by Lou Dobbs and it failed to get sixty votes. That bill was all but dead, but on his return back to Washington, D.C., President Bush stirred up the cauldron thereby resurrecting this dead bill and now here we are again. The citizens of this country brought pressure to bear upon our elected officials and that is how that bill died. Thank goodness. Now because of his input, the bill is back in debate. Once again, our esteemed elected officials chose to listen to President Bush instead of the American people. Oh and these party officials wonder why there is voter apathy.
The American people voted in this past election to finally get action from congress to end the war in Iraq. While the Democrats tried, cowardly Republicans failed to enjoin them to put forth a veto proof bill. That bill included language which would have set a time line of troop withdrawal. Former Senator John Edwards stated that the Democrats should have kept resubmitting the bill with that language left in and let Bush be the one who failed at funding our troops. But, what did the Democratic leadership do? They took that language out of the bill. It is no wonder why a growing number of Americans are becoming increasingly agitated with both parties.
What the American people are seeing is day-after-day our soldiers dying in Iraq and we wonder why. We were told we would be met by the Iraqi people as liberators, and we are seen as occupiers. It has been reported in the past that 70 percent of Iraqis do not even want us there and wish us to leave, yet we are still there. You cannot wage a war to instill any form of democracy upon a people; it must be claimed by those who chose it. We did so through our American Revolution.
A recent poll taken has President Bush’s approval rating at 28 percent, but the bigger and more telling picture is that this Democratic led congress has an even lower approval rating of 25 percent.
When you see candidates in both parties having to raise huge sums of money just to run for any office in which PACs contribute handily, one is left feeling if both parties do listen to ‘we the people’.
When you see our foreign policy in the Middle East hijacked by groups such as AIPAC in which both parties listen to only to see the failure of these policies, one is left scratching their heads. Who elects these representatives? It is the American people that go to the polls and not these special interest groups. Yet, here we are when members of both parties will do their bidding.
As I mailed my voter registration application off to my local Board of Elections, I felt a sense of sorrow that I no longer belonged to a club so to speak. But, as I go forward, I feel almost a sense of liberation. This way as an American first and foremost, I am totally free to vote for a candidate who I feel can best lead. I have voted for Republicans, Democrats and even independents. I think that our founders namely Washington and Hamilton would have wanted all of us to vote for the better candidate.
In closing, I wish to congratulate Mayor Michael Bloomberg for having the courage of his convictions by not wishing to align himself with anyone party. I hope that this starts a trend in which people will awaken that they too should claim their independence from party politics. I hope it serves as a wakeup call to our esteemed politicos.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
