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Words That Define American Politics

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By BUD MORGAN Guest Column

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2009

Having succeeded to the final decades of tenure in this marvelous adventure of life, I am no longer surprised by the magnificence of the human species or the shallowness of human character. Many eloquent words have been spoken of the myriad examples of the magnificence of our species. In those examples the words are graceful, flowing, solid and powerful. Conversely, in the examples depicting the shallowness of the human species, the words are deceptive and nuanced, always leaving an opportunity for one to hide or evade.

Until recently, pork has been the political word for passing legislation that is targeted to a politician's home district or to campaign benefactors. The practice of pork barrel politics has often been described by the term, "bringing home the bacon."

In contemporary America, politicians delude (deceive) themselves into really believing that they are uniquely refined and sophisticated; thus the word "earmarks" has come into vogue. The meaning is exactly the same.

Another word has found its way into the vernacular of the deluded politician. The word is "disingenuous." It is another word that appears to the politician to be so much more palatable than its more common definition, "lying."

Lastly, the words "pay-for-play" have been used constantly since the recent charges by the U.S Attorney from Illinois that the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, had attempted to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. To put all this into perspective, everyone understands that words are just words, but the more interesting value of words rests in their applicability.

At this critical and dangerous juncture of our history, a popular president of the United States is confronting the most diverse and difficult problems to face any previous holder of that high office. He and his economic advisors have developed an economic plan that has been designed to stimulate the economy through a variety of legislative actions.

While he and his advisors have been laboring day and night, his legislative counterparts have been laboring to insert into this legislation as many earmarks (pork) as one could possibly conceive. Most, but not all of these earmarks, have been authored by members of the president's own political party. Those Democrats are clearly attempting to steer the ship of state along the same old directionless path, a path littered with dangerous obstacles of pork barrel and pay-for-play politics.

Not to be outdone, the Republicans throw their own obstacles onto the path of national economic reform. They stand before the American people and arrogantly dare to criticize others of furthering national indebtedness. Recall that these disingenuous partisans are the same who pushed pork through Congress for five years before the first veto by their Republican president. Recall that these disingenuous Republicans were the legislators who were in charge of both houses of Congress for six of the past eight years; a period wherein they turned a massive national surplus into the largest deficit in our nation's history.

Now, these same big spending, Republican members of Congress attack Democrats for irresponsible spending. Lest one becomes too enamored with either Democrats or Republicans for their behavior during the past decade, we should (first) answer the following questions. Did either party put an end to their own earmarks? Did either party move to stop the scandalous practice of play-for-pay? Did either party rise above their own disingenuous behaviors while criticizing others?

Does anyone seriously believe that earmarks and play-for-pay deals are not practiced every day in our county, state and national levels of government? Pork and pay-for-play are as common to America as apple pie, and it has been that way since our government was created. However, that long and shameful track record of corruption does not require us to put up with such shenanigans forever.

Recall when some members of Congress attempted to stop lobby money from finding its way into the campaign coffers of politicians. Those reformists (Democrat and Republican) were ridiculed by every conservative media talking head in the nation. It is high comedy to observe followers of our two political parties being so rock-hard in their opposition to each other that neither has the slightest clue as to how very petty they appear to the rest of the nation and to the world. These clown-like, contentious ideologues are serving no other purpose than to further their blind personal or political ambitions.

These are not times to condone such rampant examples of frivolity. These are dangerous times for our nation. We are engaged in two wars and there are more wars on the rapidly approaching horizon. Capitalism and other worldwide economic icons have been infected with massive doses of deadly greed. They are acutely ill and fighting for their survival.

Waiting at the economy's deathbed are the frightening forces of anarchy and revolution. They are not willing anarchists or revolutionaries; rather, they have been frustrated by the status quo and led toward such actions by the paper-thin character of their political leaders. The world can ill-afford the chaos that would derive from anarchy and revolution.

We must set aside our old ways and adopt new words and phrases, such as: patriotism, commonsense, bipartisanship and genuine concern for the common good (both at home and around the world.) These are not the "times that try men's souls," rather these are the most precious moments on the clock of time. Those in power cannot govern in a vacuum. They certainly cannot govern while hiding behind mountains of corruption; corruption of their own making.

Every American must stand up and collectively insist that we shall not permit the expenditure of even a single moment to be wasted on partisan bickering. With one voice, we must order our representatives to cease their clown-like behaviors and to immediately come to the aid of a dying America.

Bud Morgan lives in Avon Park.

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