“Congress and the White House seem incapable of working together on anything, even when their interests align … The biggest obstacle, I think, is the general public’s reflexive, unreasoning hostility to politicians and the process of politics.
“Neurotic hatred of the political class is the country’s last universally acceptable form of bigotry. Because that problem is mental, not mechanical, it really is hard to remedy.”
– Jonathan Rauch, contributing writer at The Atlantic and National Journal and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
Politics have reached a state of insanity. We all recognize this. As Congress’s incompetence makes the electorate even more disgusted, this leads to even greater political volatility. As Jonathan Rauch of The Atlantic writes: “Disruption in politics and dysfunction in government reinforce each other. Chaos becomes the new normal.”
Ex-Ohio Governor John Kasich once described the cycle this way:
“The people want change, and they keep putting outsiders in to bring about the change. Then the change doesn’t come … because we’re putting people in that don’t understand compromise.”
(Jonathan Rauch. “How American Politics Went Insane.” The Atlantic. July/August 2016.)
Now the public is sharply divided across partisan and ideological lines. Rauch says this “Chaos Syndrome” causes government stagnation and results from politicians' inability to compromise, combined with constant calls for transparency.
The Chaos Syndrome compounds the problem of stagnation because even when Republicans and Democrats do find something to work together on, the threat of an extremist primary challenge funded by a flood of outside money makes them think twice – or not at all. Opportunities to make bipartisan legislative advances slip away. Money talks as the old cliché goes. Politicians listen to that green friend.
And, technology has revolutionized the media. For example, now a politician can reach millions through Twitter without passing through censorship or spending a dime. And, of course, outside groups – including special interests and extremists – do the same to support their agendas and their politics.
Disruptive media technologies help organize parties and activists like never before – instantaneous messaging spews truths and lies without care for veracity. The public swallows every bit that agrees with their own slant on governance.
The Chaos Syndrome has caused a nagging and troublesome situation for Democrats, but an even more acute problem for the Republican Party. After allowing Donald Trump to hijack their entire political party, the GOP is left with the remains of an organization that promised to “drain the swamp” and “make the country great again” but miserably failed, leaving the presidency, Congress, and their obliging party in shambles.
Trump had no ability to organize the levers and buttons parties and political professionals must pull and push. Instead, he spent his entire presidency disconnecting them. His was the policy of division buoyed by White nationalism. All the while, Trump claimed he was doing this for the good of the nation – to put “America first” – but, in reality, he was remarkably self-serving with no concern for democratic union.
Way back in March 2016, a Trump supporter told The New York Times, “I want to see Trump go up there and do damage to the Republican Party.
Another said, “We know who Donald Trump is, and we’re going to use Donald Trump to either take over the G.O.P. or blow it up.”
Rauch says …
“That kind of anti-establishment nihilism deserves no respect or accommodation in American public life. Populism, individualism, and a skeptical attitude toward politics are all healthy up to a point, but America has passed that point.
“Political professionals and parties have many shortcomings to answer for – including, primarily on the Republican side, their self-mutilating embrace of anti-establishment rhetoric – but relentlessly bashing them is no solution. You haven’t heard anyone say this, but it’s time someone did: Our most pressing political problem today is that the country abandoned the establishment, not the other way around.”
(Jonathan Rauch. “How American Politics Went Insane.” The Atlantic. July/August 2016.)
Think about that: Out of our disgust for politics, we have abandoned the establishment. The results are evident. Now we have renegades and bullies and conspirators in important offices who don't play well with each other. So, you can see the key player in this discord – Donald Trump – in two scenarios. Either (1) Trump caused chaos, or (2) chaos caused Trump. Either way, the Republicans must deal with the ugly aftermath.
“Much of the organization has been destroyed. Political systems don't organize themselves. Rauch reminds us …
“You need to assemble these huge coalitions of 535 politicians on Capitol Hill, and tens of thousands of interest groups, and tens of millions of voters, and assemble all those in government to get stuff done.
“That requires a lot of middlemen and a lot of people in between doing a lot of bargaining and negotiation. You cut those people out, you get chaos.
“What we have done over the last 40 or 50 years is systematically attacked and weakened the parties, the political machines, the professionals, and insiders, and hacks, and all the tools that they use to get politicians to play well together. And with those gone, you get chaos.”
(Judy Woodruff. “Is this ‘syndrome’ causing American political dysfunction?” PBS News Hour. September 19, 2016.)
I've thought about political division for quite a long time. I just turned age 70 a few days ago, and I have never seen such hatred spring from politics. Even during the days of the Vietnam War amid the protests of hawks and doves, the aim of both groups was pursuing truth.
That doesn't seem to be the aim these days – people now belief only they possess the nation. In their fragility and search for a scapegoat, many simply deny any culpability for their own condition. Cries of “fake news” mindlessly reinforce demands of the old battle cry of “Love It or Leave It.” Jesus, we thought we put that false dilemma to bed decades ago.
As an ex-teacher, coach, and sponsor for many other extracurricular activities, I often dealt with division and bigotry. Getting a class or a team to understand that processes, rules, and regulations must be followed to achieve success can be very difficult. Students are filled with emotion and seldom self-motivated to exploring wide ranges of opinions. Still, they are very capable – and often very eager – to practice critical thinking.
I found that first I had to understand the parameters of any assignment and form exercises within the system to effectively teach not only common but also individual goals. The better I knew the rules, the better I could educate and challenge students to extend their own perceived limitations. And, honestly, the stratospheric is the limit.
It is very possible to go “outside the little boxes” that fit within “the bigger box” of play. When teachers, coaches, and sponsors ignite that understanding in young people, the students excel. Why? Because they learn to use and to extend their individual talents to work together – to win or to perfect their skills. Collaboration is essential to individual accomplishment and vice versa.
Whether an instructor is teaching English usage, a coach is teaching a pass route, or a Mock Trial adviser is pointing out strategies in a line of defense, the challenge of finding creative expression and voice takes place within the framework of the assignment. Even when students discover new ground apart from such lessons, they do so by mastering the skills offered within the system first. Resistance often leads to complete failure.
Neurotic hatred is just that – ill will born of insensitivity and nervous tension. It detracts from the task at hand and even breeds unreasonable attachment to beliefs and prejudices against entire groups of human beings – including those with whom we work. No class or team or group survives if this compulsive behavior is allowed to flourish.
I do not expect politics – and government – in America to improve significantly until those who joined the Cult of Trump and continue to follow him down every divisive rabbit hole realize that an egotistical boss who simply fires and banishes those who will not blindly follow his will is an anarchist bent on destroying institutions for his own favor. Chaos is the result of such autocratic behavior.
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
– Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850), French economist, writer
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