Power, Principles, and the Politics of Accusation: The GOP
This is the other half of a work on politics. Check it out below:
The Grand Old Party. It is definitely old. It is definitely not grand anymore, as much as the party would like to tell people. Slogans can obscure the deeper ideas and philosophies that should guide us. During my undergraduate studies, I took a course on politics—not focused on the current political arena, but rather as a continuation of individual ethics rooted in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, where the emphasis is on the self. Building off an improved self, individuals can work on themselves collectively as a group. This is how I approach politics. This is why I am disappointed in politics today. Where has it gone?
Before I begin, I must speak on slogans. We live in an era post-280 characters. How simple can a candidate get their message across? “Yes, We Can”, “Hope”, “Make America Great”, “Stronger Together”. These institutions can oversimplify an issue and keep a vagueness that only that politician defines. Who is a part of “We”? Am I a part of this great “America”? Are we “strong” even without the deplorables? As our elected leaders fall for the trap of the soundbite, I am one of those who leave city hall, disenchanted with old people arguing.
Andrew Haywood wrote a fantastic book called Political Ideologies: An Introduction. He describes republicanism in contrast to liberalism where it emphasizes active citizenship with as small of a government as possible. At the same time, republicanism has a great deal of focus on the community. Is it at the cost of the individual? Many ideas swing from one extreme to another. At times in American history, individuals have been excluded from the community because they are not seen as American.
Where are we now? Where are we going? The town square in the United States has become highly polarized again. In writing this, we are in the midst of the longest government shutdown. The Democratic Party gained New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia among other wins. They are standing on ensuring that credits for the Affordable Care Act are renewed. Instead of serving the common good, the current GOP has resorted to soundbites, changing every few days, to reproach the other side, whether truthfully or not, with a tone that often blurs the line between criticism and accusation. The Party has taken a platform in broadcast news to say what they want. Debate and compromise. Work together like the public servant you are to serve us Americans.
I wonder if accusatory politics has spoiled broadcast news. Where was that line drawn initially? Rodger Ailes? Newt Gingrich years later? Paul Ryan and his image? I will instead focus on the work of Journalist Gil Duran and his work on the intertwining of money and politics. Catherine Bracey, founder of Tech Equity Collaborative and author of “World Eaters: How Venture Capital Is Cannibalizing the Economy” narrows this down to venture capitalism fueling and funding this.
My disappointment is rooted in the GOP compromising their standards for the vote. For decades, many voices proclaimed that the best Muslim is a dead Muslim and we are all practicing taqīīya. Now we are a demographic that is worthy of their votes. Sure. House Speaker Johnson was a CSPAN guest and took a call from a woman concerned about her sick child during the shutdown. It did not look good for the Republican Party. Was this a planned by George Soros and the Democrats? It does not matter. This is happening somewhere off Main Street.
After learning about what I guess would be called Classical Conservatism or Republicanism, I really considered registering as one. Socially, Muslims are generally conservate. This was most evident in 2023 when communities came together in protest to reform their Maryland district curriculum and what can be taught inside schools. At the same time, the GOP is complicit in the growing culture battles that their voters are fighting on their behalf. Power to the people.