For some time now it has seemed more and more dangerous to fall into any discussion about politics. We stopped talking politics around the Thanksgiving table and it’s risky in most other places, too. Even some marriages have suffered and long friendships have been broken off.
But this belies the fact that there are different forms of politics, some actually good. There’s politics with a small ‘p’ and politics with a capital ‘P.’ It’s the big P type that gets us in trouble.
Big P politics comes with lots of P’s. There’s Power, Privilege, Partisanship, Piety, Pandering, Prejudice, Pomp and Puffery. Big P politics has become the disease of our U.S. Congress and national elections. It’s where it’s not just important to always win, but to make sure your opponents always lose.
Small ‘p’ politics is what the rest of us do every day. It is about making choices, compromises and agreements. It’s the practice of sharing a place, economy and common laws of government. The p’s of small ‘p’ politics are Policy, Practice and Permission. Small ‘p’ winning is not about beating the loser; it’s about creating as many winners as possible. It’s democracy.
Imagine if we applied big ‘P’ politics to such local issues as our affordable housing crisis or firestorm recovery. If our local elected officials suffered the same corrupting disease as do our Congressional leaders, how could we ever expect to rebuild 5,300 homes or be prepared for the next fire disaster?
We’d all be losers if our county supervisors or local state legislators fought over new cannabis laws or budget agendas the way Congress is now fighting over immigration reform, Obamacare and the next Supreme Court justice.
Politics wasn’t always the dirty word it is today. And, it’s still an honorable position at our school boards, city halls and county seat of government. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Very few of us are politicians, but we all practice politics. Isn’t it a political act to shop locally or support local small farmers? Where do we put our money or do our banking? Being part of a local credit union or a community bank can be a political statement against bigger corporate banks or Wall Street. The car you drive is another act of politics. Is it a Chevy or a Hyundai? Electric, hybrid, diesel or a low mpg SUV?
The most momentous political act we can do is vote in an election. Is not voting also a political act?
We are told we’re not supposed to mix politics and religion. We definitely want our government to stay out of religion but our individual choices about faith and beliefs are innately both religious and political, aren’t they? Abortion, same-sex marriage, freedom of choice, pacifism or cannabis use could all be issues defined by our religious upbringing and beliefs.
Is it possible to be apolitical? We don’t think so, but it is very possible to be against big P politics. Not many of us study political science and most of us wish there was less “politics” on our TV every night. But being purely apolitical might be like being asexual, overtly apathetic or boringly anti-everything. It doesn’t sound healthy.
So let’s praise and support all our local politicians who practice small ‘p’ politics. We elect these women and men to keep our local governments on the rails and on the up and up. They seem to be keeping the promises they made to get elected and they keep listening to us. We think they’re doing the best they can to create as many winners as possible.
But we’re not naive. We know there is some Big P partisanship and power grabbing in local politics. At this newspaper we follow the Big P money and the influence peddlers. And, if you want to know who they are and what they’re up to, just keep reading this newspaper.
