By Ryan Johnson

I promised myself I was not going to do this. But in today’s world of exuberant political campaigns and the big showdown in Iowa just about a week away, it is more evident than ever that many promises just do not mean anything anymore. That being said, it is now completely acceptable that I disregard my own promise and share some political commentary with you now.

Politics used to be a game of compromise. Yet we are now witnessing the culmination of several years worth of constant devolution of civilized politics. Once upon a time, the goal was to work across party lines to find the best solution for everyone. Now we might as well build a wall right down the middle of the Senate chamber, because any sort of reaching across probably will not be happening anytime soon. Actually, we could use the blueprints for our little Mexican border project and kill two birds with one stone.

The U.S. system of government has become a win-lose situation, and whatever small majority is in power is set up to always win. As evidenced by 2004’s dead-heat election, Americans are not overwhelmingly siding with either the Republicans or the Democrats. It seems wrong that, in theory, 49 percent of Americans could be the “losers” of this game. How does the most powerful and influential nation in the world allow just under half of its citizenry to be shut out? This should not be a competition, rather, it should be aimed at finding a “tie,” a mutually beneficial solution to problems.
Which leads me to the next problem. Although the majority of Americans may describe themselves as fairly centrist, there is no representation for this viewpoint. When a moderate voter is forced to choose between a die-hard conservative and a liberal poster boy (or girl), said voter’s interests are not being adequately represented. Even though our Constitution is intended to protect the minority from being exploited by the majority (see the Bill of Rights), the current system is allowing the minority to regulate the majority.

Another source of my dismay is the current politician’s toolkit, consisting mostly of acting and the always-popular personal attack. Today’s political figures are such good publicity pigs they should have their own awards show. And the award for best actress in an attack series goes to … Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton! Recently, Clinton has chosen to cope with her sliding approval in Iowa by picking fights with fellow Democrat Barack Obama. Clinton even sought out a kindergarten essay of Obama’s titled “I Want to Be President,” accusing him of lying regarding him not having a lifelong lust for the Oval Office. Her attacks have grown so common lately that Obama’s campaign has started running a Web site to document the day-to-day criticisms she chooses to share with us.
Clinton has responded by calling to light what she calls “the Republican attack machine.” More attention is being paid to this drama-laden soap opera than to the actual issues at hand, meaning America will most likely be voting for the best actor or actress, who of course will be backed by the best writing staff not on strike right now.

These all contribute to a broad sense of disillusionment within the current U.S. government. A culture of lies, scandals and attacks swept under the label of “politics” may very well be setting us up for major problems down the road. Representatives elected on the basis of how well they showcase others’ flaws, not how well they can solve our problems, means that we as citizens will know what the problems are, but we should not expect much in terms of solutions. After all, solutions are what they promise, and we all know promises are no good.

Ryan Johnson is a senior at Eden Prairie High School and editor-in-chief of the Eyrie newspaper.