America's Island of Consensus

If America under Bush was floundering, under Obama it is drowning. Books like “The Post American World” are being written because there is voracious audience of anti-Americans and us, who are just trying to make sense of it all.

Terror, then two wars, then the great recession, BP, and a political class mired in partisan politics. The left argued the right was biased and established a self-proclaimed biased site to “present the other side” -the Huffington Post. Obama was elected to not do exactly what he is doing, or rather to do what he is not doing. The tea party is not a new movement but a microcosm of the Republican party, with Ron Paul representing the libertarian element of the Republican party, and Sarah Palin the conservatives. Independents, which is supposed to denote independence from party ideology, are now synonymous with Ralph Nader and Ron Paul two men who are outside dominant political ideologies, but are equally not independent from their own ideological leanings.

Even the core values of America, the peaceful island where the overwhelming majority of Americans can assemble and automatically agree, a place where the congress and the executive love to meet, and splash in the glow of positive press releases.

Even this island is shrinking. Whereas capitalism was once seen as a badge of honor and synonymous with freedom for America, it is now for many become inextricably tied with greed. Whereas corporations like Ford were the envy of the world, and fostered the emergence of America's vaunted middle-class, now they are blamed for the decline of the middle-class. Whereas the Truman’s doctrine to contain the Soviets and support all Democracies is still at the heart of what makes America’s history and present unique, America's support of nations like Taiwan, Israel, and South Korea is being attacked from inside and out, just as its effort to suppress criminal regimes like Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea is under assault.

The very issues that united us despite all our divisions (because they are at the heart of America and American citizens) are being deluged by waves of political animus, to the extent that some in both parties disagree for the sake of disagreeing on the issues that we all once agreed upon.

At the same time this very island of consensus is the place where we must rebuild from, only that its warmth should spread to the political storms that surround it. We must rebuild domestic political muscle to affirm that robust inter-party cooperation is just as integral to our system as vigorous debate. We must vet our candidates to ensure that they are American patriots, individuals that believe in the country and are willing to give their life for it. Such candidates will put the country first. We must ensure they are Independent, not on paper but in mind. So that their independence will engender the greatest benefits to this nation. Likewise individuals who will not automatically discredit old policy, simply because they are old. Or conclude, based on preconceived notions or some YouTube clip, that elements within our society are supporting a certain course of action for reasons other than maintaining Americas greatness.

Indeed these candidates should make the island of consensus the starting point of their activities -the center of the island- creating a feeling of goodwill and reminding themselves of their mutual goal: to practice empirical politics, not political science. Most of all we, the people of good will WHO LOVE THIS COUNTRY, Jews, Italians, Africans, Germans, Irish and the rest, including foreign students/workers and aspiring immigrants who have benefited from America's blessing must do the same. This is key if we are to remain on top.