Erbe: For many, no good political options

ShareThis

Americans are souring on the political system in the good old US of A and it's easy to understand why.

Former President George W. Bush led the Republican charge to overspend which, combined with a credit system collapse, landed us in an economic trough. Democrats took over as the economy was crashing and spent even more to resuscitate. Now that stimulus money has been spent and the economy isn't holding the charge that supporters of the stimulus package hoped for.

No wonder Americans are upset with the party in power. But from where I sit, that does not mean voters should boomerang back to the party that got us into this financial mess in the first place.

We need major political reform to offer voters more explicit and more reliable choices. I'm beginning to think that in today's hyper-high-tech world, two parties may not be enough. Hence, the success of the Tea Party, whose supporters send at best a muddled message.

The fact we have two major political parties results in politicians illogically stringing together issues in order to try to build large coalitions of supporters. Why is it, for example, that Republicans, the supposed party of fiscal restraint (which I support) are also the party of theocracy (with which I firmly disagree?) Why is it that Democrats, the party of environmental preservation and conservation (with which I firmly agree) are also the party of mass immigration (which to me means environmental desecration?)

It seems as if the way the parties choose their stands on issues, which change over time, are cobbled together in order to win the most votes. But in so doing, they string together sometimes contradictory issues. In the process, they divine platforms that are misaligned with the thought processes of most voters.

That in turn forces them to lie. That is why, for example, President Obama is proposing yet another stimulus package, but heaven forbid he should refer to it by its true name, a stimulus package.

The Obama administration this week is rolling out a multipart economic, um, development program intended to help fight persistently high unemployment. President Obama talked about one part of this program, a proposed $50 billion investment in upgrades for US roads, rail lines, and runways, on Labor Day in Milwaukee.?

(http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/0907/Obama-s-don-t-c...)

In addition, the President's new program will allow businesses to write off capital investments through next year (in order to try to generate more jobs in the private sector) and will make permanent research and development tax credits for businesses. It's a stimulus bill, but please don't tell anybody and please don't call it that.

Why is he going through this folderol?

He is doing this kabuki dance because he is pilfering a Republican approach to economic stimulus (tax cuts for businesses) and trying to claim that issue for the Democrats, in order not to lose Independents and so-called Reagan Democrats at the polls in November. He sees Democratic and more importantly, Independents, deserting his party when it was these same supporters who voted him into office two years ago.

He is doing this because the GOP, salivating over the prospect of taking back one or both chambers of Congress, is accusing him of mismanaging the economy.

But in so doing, he sounds more like a Republican and further mutes the difference between his own party and the GOP.

From one perspective, American voting patterns make no sense. Two years ago voters sent a resounding signal to the GOP: Your policies aren't working. Now they're saying the same (if you believe the pollsters) to the other major party.

The real problem is there's no happy medium party out there, when we desperately need one.

(Bonnie Erbe is a TV host and writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail bonnieerbe(at)CompuServe.com.)

COLUMN