Re-evaluating the American Political System

This question has long been asked and the answer to it is not that difficult to arrive at, especially considering the current American political situation. The question is whether have the American political parties, by their own actions, made the Americans hate politics and take no interest in it. Unfortunately, the state of things is exactly like that and both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for it. There is so much media attention that is given to unimportant things driving the issues that should be dominant at the back side. It is not that the preferences of the American media consumerists have changed or that the American public changed its likes and dislikes about what it wants to see on TV.The American mainstream media at most times seems to be an unofficial mouth piece of the American government when it plays to the tunes it likes.

There is much too distraction with so many entertainment media events taking place almost all year round and the celebrities do not let the stove of gossips and curiosity about their lives go out of fuel. This has left the state of politics in America with a negative image. The high state of consumerism in America means that businesses and investors do closely monitor public opinion and sentiments, but it is all carried out in the interest of the few and not for the benefit of improvement for the public. Both the parties care even less about this as they are concerned with campaign funds and sustenance of corporatism for these funders rather than what is good for the public. Then there are lobbying groups creating pressure about issues again of their own interest linked with businesses that will have gains for them rather than common man.

Both the political parties seem to go after each other now rather than the issues. Their opposition to each other has increased over the years and has created a split in the cause of serving the American public. An average American today thinks of politics as something sinister and does not want to take part in anything political. With each day a growing disinterest and non-participation from the American public in domestic and foreign affairs, the prospects for a functional democracy in America looks bleak. The word ‘politician’ is now taken as a description of a person who is a hypocrite and an opportunist.

The only thing that seems to be on the agenda of the politicians is to win elections. The campaigning season is soon to begin and the elections are next year. Both democrats and republicans want to win the race to the White House for their candidates. Even though with the current policies that America has undertaken especially abroad, it seems very likely that the current president, Barack Obama, will have another term in the Oval Office. The American establishment has been adamant since the beginning it started the War on Terror that it will stay the course and follow the enemy to the end of the line, no matter that line perhaps might end in an abyss of destruction and nothing else. To continue with the same policies and show consistency, the head of the American state is hardly likely to change.

The basic concept of performing as a government has been somehow lost in these wars abroad and amidst the American government’s staunch stand to give priority to war budgets and financing with heavily loaned sums increasing the American debts than to give precedence to towering unemployment rates, ascending health issues and divided image of humane approach in front of the international community. One couldadd more to the list, but the bottom line is that there is more negative involvement of American government both at home and abroad than there are things which one could applaud at. There seems certainly a dichotomy in America’s foreign policy conduct and defense and military strategy when it has majorly upset its frontline ally Pakistan with the NATO’s attack in Peshawar. Not only America is now uncertain about what it should take the action that it ought to, but is really going down the spiral by not daring to take it and delaying mending of the damages. The question arises, what will democrats and republicans be next campaigning for, who can better mend relations with Pakistan or will it be even worse for Pakistanis with, who can better win the war alongside NATO against Pakistan?

There are not enough genuine antics left in American strategy abroad than dropping the bombs unnecessarily, provoking aggressive response and crippling ties with those who stand with it to save the world from evil. Since the majority of the American public is less interested than ever about what the American politicians do at home and abroad, those few in America who do care do not have a voice or to put it more accurately are not paid heed to. The American intellectuals and political experts in academia fear a scenario where there would be none of the democratic principles left in essence of practice which would entitle America as a democratic state.

This whole situation provides a nudge to rethink and reevaluate the American political system and its debilitating condition, as it has already been so time and again in the past, but now with ever decreasing chances of recovery than previously. That day might not be far when America could not claim itself to be a practicing and functional democracy when the issues are not dealt with honestly throwing the actual governance aspect out the window and with not paying attention to the public’s demand of having to take care of their problems first than to indulge abroad with splashes of cynicism and suspicions to its image. The American government’s military strategy of creating war zones and entering them would be left with little cause and meaning with less democracy at home.