Economy is to Serious Condition as Political System is to Flatline

A recent blog post challenges the Republican presidential candidate to regain his honor. It’s a good post in that it highlights one of the dangers of democracy: s/he who can drive the emotions of the masses can control… everything.

But when we wring our hands about McCain’s and Palin’s dangerous stoking of anger, or worry about what use Obama would put his ability to captivate, we miss something big:

We’re already sunk.

We gave up our freedom 7 years ago. It’s gone. Worrying about these candidates is like worrying who gets to take the helm of the Titanic’s second voyage.

Here’s what I want: I want my freedom back. And if that means I need to live in a society that’s a little less safe, then I’ll take my chances. Because nothing—nothing—is worth my freedom.

My elected leaders have had 7 years to do something with the power granted to them, and what did they do? The lied. They cheated. They stole. They abused their power. And all I got was some illusory sense of safety (TSA? Really?), a neutered press (“real Americans” don’t challenge abuses of power by a wartime president, right?), and a world full of fear and hatred.

Want to hear something truly scary? Want to know how Hitler came to power?

(1) He whipped up fear, anger and hatred across Germany.
(2) He ran a propaganda machine.
(3) He made it unacceptable to speak up against him.
(4) He manufactured a crisis (setting fire to Germany’s seat of government).
(5) He blamed the crisis on an opposition party and had personal liberties suspended so he could effectively deal with the problem.

Does this pattern sound familiar?

It should. We saw a version of it after 9/11. We saw a 2nd version of it around the Iraq invasion. And we’re seeing another iteration of it now during the economic crisis.

To hell with the Presidential election. If the conversations I have with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances are at all representative, people are voting “against” a candidate this time around more than they are voting “for” anything. That’s a problem in and of itself… and a big one at that.

If you want to make a difference, don’t lose sight of what else happens on November 4th. Pay attention to your local Congressional race, and throw out your incumbent. I’m sure, whoever it is, you love your guy or gal, just like I love mine. But like QOS says, enough’s enough.

The president does not act alone. He acts with the express or implicit approval of a 435 member “Board of Directors.” Remember, the legislative branch is the part of government that makes the rules; the President is an enforcer. Representatives who gave up their—and by extension, our—check over the executive branch of government need to go.

Serving in Congress should be a privilege, not a job.

Give it to someone who will treat it as such.

For those of you who worry that without continuity, Congress won’t function, I have two ideas: (1) Would it be so bad to send Jefferson Smith to Congress en masse? (2) Don’t you think there’d be a staffer or two (hundred) to help with the Parliamentary procedures?

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.