PrintOctober 27, 2010
Will of the People
Things will never be the same in America. Something wonderful has taken place. Americans, largely conservative-minded Americans, many of whom previously showed little interest in the political process, have figured out that they have the ability to effect change in the way they are governed.
All hail the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the undeniable independent spirit embodied in the American ideal. As with many times before in our nation's history, it turns out that the path our founders set us upon has provided us the means to set some things right.
It is this spirit which has caught fire. Transcending party politics, ignoring presumed divisions, and chipping away at the longstanding dominance of "the establishment," it rests upon the most fundamental of principles, drawing strength and authority from simple concepts such as faith, honor, knowledge, and patriotism.
A sizeable and formerly silent class has discovered that power was just sitting there the whole time, dormant and obscured.
Tens of thousands have stepped forward to lead the way by running for office, heading up local grassroots organizations, or volunteering to a degree that they never previously considered. Citizens have found their voice, millions becoming emboldened and ever more engaged.
For all the denial of ineptitude, corruption, and policy failure by big-government proponents, too many people simply know better now. The genie is out of the bottle, and the people's rebellion has taken on a life of its own. It's not going back in the bottle.
The continuing affronts to and demonization of opponents by the rebellion's naysayers, largely "The Elite Ruling Class," as aptly defined by Angelo Codevilla, have served merely to further feed the beast.
The many detractors of the Tea Party movement are wasting their time, for what we are witnessing here is America's system of governance working exactly as it was intended, nothing more.
There is a simple formula in play -- governing against the will of the people can go only so far for so long. The same can be said for government (at all levels) amassing levels of debt that cannot be sustained. The peril has finally grown too large to keep hidden. People can do the math and see for themselves that any Ponzi-structured entitlement program will eventually collapse under its own weight.
This is a key reason why ObamaCare has been so consistently opposed. It was instinctively perceived as an expansion of an already failed system. As government grows, citizens increasingly find themselves weighing fiscal prudence and personal responsibility against the promises of what they stand to gain from more government.
To an ever-expanding degree, we are moving beyond theoretical debate about how the country should be run. Most Americans, in one way or another, are directly feeling the brunt of an overweight and intrusive central government.
Once people make the proper connections, once their eyes are opened and they understand the many ways in which government impacts their lives, there is no going back. Man inherently seeks to understand the how and the why. The more he learns, the more he is compelled to act upon that knowledge, thus empowering himself.
A record number of Americans are turning to the roots of our nation for that empowerment, studying the principles that founded our system, and quickly learning that their own liberty requires a limited government -- simple!
All politics aside, it has become all too apparent that the government we were intended to have and the one that we have presently are two vastly different things. At the very least, without dispute, Washington has proven completely irresponsible with our money and reckless in how it conducts its affairs.
Governments throughout America, particularly the federal government, are broken and making a huge mess of things. Though significantly changing this equation is a long haul, no doubt, next week's elections will prove monumental -- the biggest test to date for the rebels who seek to have their voices heard.
As the election results fully sink in on November 3, "the people" will have a taste of empowerment perhaps like they've never known, thus propelling their rebellion forward.
Many subsequent tests lie just around the corner, but there will be a substantial reset of the game board first. Republicans will have made majority gains not just in Washington, but at state and local levels, too. Many of these new leaders will be Tea Party types who aim to take on the pervasive ruling class. Let's see what the rookies are capable of.
But this election is about so much more than turning over power from one political party to the other. To focus there is to miss the story completely. This is truly a clash of titans -- big bad authoritarian government against the sheer will and determination of patriotic citizens who have had enough of it. How could the stage be any more epic?
On one hand, we have the well-oiled Democratic machine that produced Barack Obama and raised $750 million to get him elected just two short years ago. It is a juggernaut of political savvy, and besides being well-funded, it includes tentacles that connect to voter fraud, union thugs, and professional antagonists in the streets.
On the other side, a relative rabble of loosely organized upstarts. Mostly volunteers, many never even involved in politics at all until a year or two ago, Americans of all stripes: veterans, stay-at-home moms, small business owners, college students, and the like.
Yes, there are large sums of money aligned with their efforts -- so what? Again, that's not the real story. Forget the forces that naturally participate in the political process anyway. Though somewhat unfortunate, that is how our system works. It is nothing new, and both major political parties equally partake in the system as present law allows.
The battle is between a people and their government. The difference will be the will of everyday Americans.
The upcoming election results will not only speak volumes about the path of our nation's future, but they will also serve as an important gauge for what a determined majority of Americans are capable of.
George Scaggs is a writer, commentator, voice actor, and audio-video producer based in Austin, TX. You can find more of his work at Bargain Citizen Media, Ramparts360.com, and TexasInsider.org.
