Throughout this election I continue to hear candidates talk about change, but I am unsure if they fully understand what it means to transform. As history shows, many presidential candidates have talked about change in Washington and how the “machine” is broken. Many have presented quixotic platitudes about how their plan and their methods will not only fix that which is broken, but more, continue to keep the US the most powerful nation in the world. My inherent problem is that everyone speaks about the ends, but no one talks about the means to get there. Not only will our next President need to have a thoughtful and comprehensive course of action, but he must also be able to bring people from both sides of the aisle together. Will the next President be able to not only talk about change but have the necessary skills and experience, both in life and political prowess, to enact change? Will the next President have the necessary strength to stand his or her ground even if it isn’t possible to make the changes as quickly as the American people want it? Focusing on results rather than thoughtful planning can lead to extreme disappointment. When the end never comes to fruition, people lose hope in their political figures and their ability to effect change. The problem is, that a result should never have been asserted, only research and plans of action should be set forth.
In the past eight years we have had an administration destroy everything we hold sacred as American citizens, a form of progress that harmed our democracy. The current administration understood the system, knew how to effect change within it, and sadly, also knew how to work around it. My hope is that the next administration will have the same skills but use them in a positive way; first undoing all that was done as well as propelling this nation forward.
The American people trust that a candidate will bring every promise to fruition. The common misconception is that these promises will automatically be brought to pass, when in actuality candidates only assert goals for the future. They sign checks that only hard work and cooperation can cash. Unfortunately people are not patient or active enough to understand what it takes to even move the machine, let alone change it. I am afraid for my generation and generations that follow that there are not enough people, especially the young people, examining the real issues this country faces. I fear that many people see the issues solely through the eyes of the candidates and media and have not examined the issues for themselves, which in my opinion taints any final conclusions.
Before people embrace candidates that speak about change, voters must understand the issues they plan to “change” from multiple perspectives and only then determine which candidate has the best solution, best plan of action and the skills to produce results. Candidates must have the right answers but more importantly, must ask the right questions. Sometimes, a politicians view of the country and of the issues that our nation faces, are overly simplistic. In order to create a catchy sound bite and inevitably produce a result, they choose to neglect the dimensionality of the issues. Changing the system requires thoughtful progression and deliberate actions. We should not only expect imagination and planning from our elected officials, but we, as the public, must also be aware of the issues and the questions that should be asked. If more people do this I am confident we as a nation will continue to hold our place among the greatest superpowers in the world since we will then have a more holistic approach to the problems we face, and will have representation that can effect those goals.
We are a nation of multi-taskers. We reward productivity rather than independent thinking and imaginative problem solving. To force our candidates to be result oriented rather than geared toward purposeful planning, I believe, would be a grave disservice to our nation. Just as we should live our lives more through the means than the ends, so should our representatives. Let us take back the humanity and dignity that has been stripped from our collective national consciousness. Let us hold our politicians to a higher standard, and allow them the freedoms that we hope for ourselves.
