Pendulum Swings

“There is a widespread sense of powerlessness, both in our economic and political life. We seem no longer to control our own destinies….For a third of a century, the American economy has failed to enhance the well-being of a majority of its citizens” 

When a pendulum reaches its maximum arc, the velocity is zero.  Everything stops.  With the recent election, it feels like the pendulum stopped swinging and soon perhaps, it will begin its journey back to the center.  Beginning in January 2019, we will have returned to a system of shared governance; one with appropriate checks and balances, as envisioned by the framers of the Republic. 

The American system of government was designed to mitigate two competing visions of authority.  On one side were those who feared the tyranny of the majority, believing that a pure democracy would lead to chaos.  Those on the other side feared the tyranny of the minority; that a person or a party could impose their will on the unwilling.  And so, our founders devised a government designed to limit the ability of any party or person to create too much power.

America is a divided country at the moment:  Urban vs. rural, educated vs. less educated, white vs. people of color, Democrat vs. Republican, wealthy vs. the poor and the dwindling middle class.  With a country so divided and at so many levels, perhaps what we need the most right now is a divided government; but one that uses the division of power to seek compromise and addresses the root causes of our disunion.

Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel prize winning economist, writes “There is a widespread sense of powerlessness, both in our economic and political life. We seem no longer to control our own destinies….For a third of a century, the American economy has failed to enhance the well-being of a majority of its citizens” 

Stiglitz was discussing how large corporate monopolies have exacerbated the social and economic problems facing America and have worked to pervert the political process.  Corporate and political monopolies have brought us to a place where our political and economic systems no longer work to improve the life of the average citizen.  We are a country that is racially, economically and geographically divided while at the same time our two political parties fight for sole control of all levers of government in order to impose their own priorities on everyone.  It is no wonder that our country feels on the verge of imploding.  The rich are getting opulently more wealthy as the already powerful strive to amass more power, and the average citizen is feeling socially and economically squeezed and evermore powerless.

At a time where we sorely need a divided government to inhibit the tyranny of the minority, we also need an engaged populous in order to hold our politicians and captains of industry accountable.  We need to get back to a government and an economy that works for all of us and not just the connected or privileged few.  This isn’t really so farfetched.  It feels like we are on the verge of this very movement now.  We have both aspects already underway:  a divided government and an engaged populous. 

Expecting a divided government to solve our problems is not all that outlandish because there is broad consensus on a variety of “divisive” issues.  According to a series of Gallup polls, the majority of people support gun control.  We support an improved environment, and healthcare for everyone.  A large majority believe immigration is good for America and that repairing our infrastructure is key to our ongoing economic wellbeing.  Significantly, the majority of Americans also want government to work better by ending the partisanship and finding a way to compromise and solve our most pressing problems.

The American people have a unified vision on a wide variety of significant issues.  It is our political parties and corporate elite that ignore the will of the people and who seem hell bent on amassing power, often at the expense of social and economic progress for the country as a whole. 

Our country is divided – as Stiglitz points out – because the political and economic infrastructure has failed us.  The push for more money and more power – at all costs – has driven divisions through the heart of America.

But now the pendulum has stopped.  We can take a breath and get ready for the pendulum to swing back as it picks up speed.  Our job is to ensure that the momentum works to our advantage.  Our job is to ensure that every politician and corporate elite understands that for American to thrive, we need to focus on the common good.  The politics of power for power’s sake are done.  The time of amassing wealth at the expense of the many are over.

A divided government is a government designed to ensure that the considerations of the many take precedent over the whims of the few.  But, this will only work if we stay committed and engaged.

The pendulum has stopped for now.  But we cannot.