Change, purely for the sake of change, is not necessarily a good thing. In the hands of the right people, guided by a promise of improvement, change can bring about enormous opportunity such as the creation of our nation. Not all Americans even felt the separation from England was a positive goal. But, look at America today -- present government problems excluded. But, change takes time and commitment because it does not come quickly in most instances, and it does take a toll in time, usually expenses and almost always personal sacrifice for the leadership.
We saw some evidence of change in our political system's make-up during the recent elections. Depending on your political persuasion, it might be for the better or worse -- but it was a result of the things that bring about change. In Arkansas' U.S. Senator's race we saw a great deal of money spent both to point out the strengths of a candidate and point out the weaknesses of the opponent. In the final analysis, the position moved from one controlled by the Democratic Party to control of a Republican victor.
Only time will tell if Arkansas and the nation will benefit from the voters' choice. However, what was proven to the world is that many Arkansans used their votes to express dissatisfaction about what has been taking place in our nation's capital and the prospects of change look better than maintaining the status quo. What we did see reinforced in this election is that it is highly unlikely that a true Independent candidate can be successful in a highly publicized election where our two-party system is so deeply entrenched. The enormous amounts of money raised to promote the two primary party (Democrat and Republican) candidates speaks volumes about the resources of the two parties. Where could an Independent find the amounts of money needed to compete with the chosen candidates who have met the litmus test of their party's criteria? Many years ago, a Texas billionaire named Ross Perot made headlines by his foray into politics. Heaven only knows how much of his own money he spent trying to establish himself as a candidate for political office. It appears his wealth was not adequate to compete with the main parties' resources and we hear nothing from him today.
The two political parties have their big contributors who utilize our rather lax laws governing contributions to set-up Political Action Committees which can operate for a cause or against a candidate. We saw example after example of their involvement in Arkansas' Senatorial race and Governor's race. Are we, as the voters better informed or just more confused from the barrage of self-serving media?
If Senator Pryor's biggest asset was his support of Obama's programs, you probably voted for him. However, if you were opposed to the president's methods of operation and his programs, you probably saw Sen. Pryor's voting as a liability and supported Senator-elect Cotton who, negative ads told us, was the only member of Arkansas' Washington delegation to vote against the Farm Bill. Some voters however saw his vote as an informed Congressman having the strength to vote against a bill full of "pork" not very related to farm productions at all. (I realize that topic alone will probably result in a few questions by this article's readers. However, please try to understand, if you have strong views about the direction of our nation the question of the power of the two political parties is the real issue.)
You and I will be victims of the two-party system as it evolves in Washington until we trade some of our self-indulgent activities for political awareness. Do you know anyone you would personally walk your neighborhood to support for a county office if they ran as an Independent? One of the things I learned being involved in some of the Circuit Judges' political campaigns is how much time individual supporters must contribute to have a successful campaign. It does take money and soliciting campaign contributions is part of the activities needed, but shoe soles devoted to door-to door campaigning is the greatest need. Getting to know an Independent candidate -- and all Circuit Judge positions are run as Independents -- is the criteria for winning an election. This is a position in the circuit courts here in Benton County. Can you imagine trying to do that in a state-wide election (senator, governor etc.) without an enormous bank account?
Until you and I, and all serious voters who believe some change can be beneficial get serious and make our political system function for the benefit of all America, we will continue making choices between candidates selected for their connection to one of the two major political parties where powerful political ties are at stake.
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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/19/2014