Most politicians should be in rehabilitation. Clearly the vast majority of them are addicted to power and privilege. From outward observation it appears that their addictions are amazingly strong as they continue time and time again to return to the seats of power. Very few politicians are capable of defeating the addiction by their own devices. In fact, many of them feed the addiction until they become incapacitated or die while holding office. Perhaps I’m being too harsh about their addictive personalities. Maybe they are not qualified or capable of doing any productive labor. Whatever the cause of politicians seeking to hold office in perpetuity, we must find a solution.
Obviously, the best remedy for a career politician’s addiction to power and privilege is for the voters to defeat him/her at election time. We should never, though, allow ANY politician who has held office for more than eight years to run unopposed in the primary. The primary election is a vital element of the accountabile responsibility of the electorate. If the electors fail to challenge a long-time incumbent, then she/he receives the message that they may vote and act with impunity. Yeah, the odds are the challenger may lose convincingly, but the effort will pay dividends on two levels. The challenger’s campaign team will thoroughly examine the incumbent’s voting record and discover any decisions at odds with the voters of the district. Secondly, the officeholder will be forced to campaign aggressively for the entire election cycle which offers the opportunity to interact with more citizens.
Another step for diluting the power addiction in politicians is to politely challenge them at Town Halls or open forum meetings. Even if your particular representative votes totally with your preferences, he/she can be challenged to initiate legislation to repeal noxious laws or to take a more active role in the dismantling of the Nanny State. The true test of a politician’s sincerity is the willingness to pare back toxic rules and regulations that are overseen by her/his committee. “We’ll lose,” the politician may say, and you can counter with, “So what? Its lousy governance and unconstitutional. Are you too timid to attempt the difficult?” The implication will be stone cold clear: We can send anyone there to accomplish the easy tasks, but we expect you to push the envelope and upset the applecart. I love old metaphors.
Too often we allow those whom we perceive to be “good” representatives to get a pass when it comes to what is needed to preserve the republic. Even “good” office holders must do more than passively sit on the back bench while voting correctly and watching the nation disintegrate. Their pulpits are larger than ours. The editors and reporters respond to their phone calls and tweets. Passive positivism is not patriotism. Value-based voting is not enough. Right thinking politicians must journey out from their comfort zones and support those eager patriots who challenge RINO’s or progressives in nearby districts. The old rules of collegiality and comity must be discarded for the sake of the nation. If a “right-thinking” incumbent refuses to actively advance the cause of freedom, then she/he does not deserve a challenge-free path to re-election.
Voters and activists must pry incumbents from their sedentary state of comfort. They must challenge the politicians to stand for freedom and not sit for office. The politicians must be warned in no uncertain terms that the fight for liberty is an active pursuit. Placeholders are neither needed…nor desired. Never again.
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