All Politics is Local¶
Something that has been heavy on my mind since the election is what my actions and words have done to contribute to the current state of our country.
I am not so self-deluded as to think that I alone am responsible for the rancor that currently divides us. But the actions of the individual matter, when aggregated with the a multitude of other individuals.
So that leads me back to what have I done, for better or worse, to contribute to our current level of political discourse?
The sad answer is not much. I have been all talk and no action. I will give myself the small consolation that at least my talk has mostly been open minded and engaging of the other side, but I have not done much in my own life to effect the change I want see in the world. I just talk.
I believe I see this same tendency in many other people around me. We like to sit in our small social groups and talk back and forth to each other. It doesn’t matter much if your group all thinks the same or has spirited disagreement. It’s all just talk. There is a phrase in politics about where true political influence arises. It is most commonly attributed in origin to former House Speaker Tip O’Neil. “All Politics is Local” is the saying. It means that, ideological arguments on a national scale are not what really determines how the electorate votes. What really matters are the local economics and experiences that an individual encounters in their daily lives. That a person is going to vote for someone they know and trust over someone that makes a compelling argument.
That has never seemed to be further from the truth than what we have today. There has been an increasing trend for voters to make their voting decisions based on who they vote for at the national level. This most recent election had 100% of the Senate races go the same way as the Presidential race for their state. That hasn’t happened in over a century.
But that doesn’t mean “All Politics Is Local” is wrong. It just highlights something else we’ve been doing as citizens: self-sorting. Over the past 50 years people have slowly been moving to areas that a full of people like themselves. And I argue that on top of that, we are not nearly as engaged in our local community as in years past.
And that is where we need to look for true change. Electing Obama didn’t suddenly make the country more embracing of diversity and liberal policies. Electing Trump won’t make America suddenly “great again” and hardcore conservatives.
So perhaps we all (and certainly me more than most) need to take a step back from the national politics and start paying attention to our neighbors and local communities. Get involved with the people who live around you.
That is the only way we will be able to patch up the frayed edges of the threads that bind us as a nation. Now is not a time for protesting a fairly elected leader. Now is not a time for doubling down on the rhetoric of division and marginalization. It is time to put our heads down and get to work with our neighbors. And when we disagree with them, still offering that helping hand with a smile, instead of running away to that community that agrees with our views.
Because in the end you can’t unite a community if you keep yourself apart from it.