Politics Shouldn't be About People
It should be about policy.
It’s a simple proposition. If government acts as the mutual arbiter of resource allocation and distribution of power, then the reason we as citizens care about its function is because of how it wields such authority.
Should government allow immigrants in? Should it control women’s reproductive choices? How much should it regulate Wall Street?
These are questions that are answered in the policy platforms of politicians seeking our votes.
Personally, I’ve always felt that folks focus too much on the individual candidates - their look, their personality, their “likeability,” - rather than the underlying policies the candidate is vying for. Why? If humans are rational which, I believe we are, then why is the focus placed on factors that are wholly irrelevant to the true task at hand in government? To be clear, personality matters in some contexts. Perhaps the nation wants a “strong” leader to stand up to foreign threats, or a pragmatist who is able to work across the aisle and build bipartisanship. But broadly speaking, policy positions are what impact the day to day of the citizenry. And yet….
So what?
The implications to our democracy are significant. Because the more folks focus on people the less likely they’re going to take a critical look at what the people actually want to do with their power. This, in my opinion, explains why the modern era republican party continues to have success with middle class voters despite the fact that their policy platform enriches the top 1% disproportionately. Conservatives keep the conversation focused on their candidates (as well as social issues) and distract from the policy priorities they know wouldn’t resonate with their base.
The same can be said of democrats. Where are the Voting Rights bills we need to strengthen our democracy, especially in red states where suppression is getting worse? Why hasn’t Congress increased the minimum wage in decades? It’s unambiguous that Mitch McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat from President Obama, resulting in the current 6-3 conservative tilt on the high court - why haven’t we pushed to expand the Court to remedy the ideological rift?
By focusing the public on the people elected, the democrats can duck these tough questions. Conversations aren’t about minimum wage but Biden’s age. Supreme Court politics is left for pundits; the dinner table is reserved for bashing Trump.
I believe Americans care deeply about policy. Otherwise they wouldn’t be engaged with politics. But I fear our emotions are getting the best of us, and our collective discourse suffers because of it.
As best we can, we must focus the conversation on policy. Because politicians are, in my view, simple vessels to carry proposals to law.