We the People of the United States of America.
That sentence begins the Preamble to the United States Constitution – and it set the stage for a massive political shift in world power that continues to this day. No more would the people merely be ruled but they would themselves be rulers. Governmental power and authority would flow from the people – and only through them would government be considered legitimate.
In 1787, the Framers knew they were doing something big as they drafted the short little paragraph that precedes the US Constitution – but they couldn’t have begun to imagine the impact it would have globally. Oh, they knew kings and rulers would have distain and annoyance – but what the Founding Fathers didn’t know is that they were setting a standard of governmental legitimacy that would one day be the standard by which all governments are judged.
It’s why governments that clearly aren’t democratic or republican in nature have ersatz elected bodies and officials – because no nation that rules without the consent of the governed is viewed in modern times as actually legitimate. Governments rule at the pleasure of the governed, not the other way around.
The one big drawback is that instead of a few people having to keep their eyes on the political ball now everyone needs to have at least a decent understanding of the political system that they themselves help to govern. No, it doesn’t mean you have to know everything about every issue – no one does or ever has. It does mean that we get the government we make for ourselves – and if we choose to be lazy about it, we also get the crappy government we deserve.
The good news is its exceedingly difficult to be too late to the party. Not impossible, of course, but the Framers put in a LOT of fail safes in case the most important one – us – fell asleep at the wheel. We may have run off the road a bit but we’re not wrapped around a tree yet – we still have the time and the power to get this jalopy back on the road.
We are just over two months away from the first primaries. If you thought you didn’t have to worry about these danged elections until November, think again. NOW is the time to make the course corrections we need. Let the other guy worry about his party – it’s time to straighten out our own.
And make no mistake, both parties are in serious need of straightening. The Republicans have spent too long saying and not doing – and not for any good reason. If conservatives want their interests represented, they had best start nominating candidates that will do just that. In the age of the Internet where everyone’s life story is a click away – or just about – there’s no excuse to not know who your candidates are and what they are up to – or what they are likely to be up to if elected.
So over the next few weeks I’m going to be analyzing my own local primary candidates and showing you how I did it. It’s not hard – it just requires diligence.
This is what government of the people is all about.
