Why Are We Surprised?

I just read a brief article on CBS News' website about Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) losing his chance to run for re-election to Representative Joe Sistak (D-PA) in the primary election.  The article continued with descriptions of how others are falling in the post-Obama pendulum swing.  It's being heralded all over the news outlets as though this was actually a surprise.  Why is that?

First of all, two years after every presidential election the citizens of this great nation behave as though the new president has destroyed their happy dreams for the future.  This delusion-shattering experience leaves them angry and ready to battle against those that support this sadness-monger.  Elected officials all over the country are swatted down like flies and we, as a country, are satisfied that we have made our voices heard.

Add to this that Sen. Specter changed his party and we have a whole new level of discomfort. Yet, why would this bother us. Don't we wave a flag in honor of our right to live according to our principles. We're not obligated to maintain the same principles for our lifetime. We can grow and change and learn. Isn't that why our young men and women fight and die in the military so that we can continue to enjoy these freedoms?

Balderdash!  That's all I have to say to that... balderdash!

In the twelve-step system, the paraphrased statement is that repeating actions and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.  If that is true, then our entire nation is insane.  We continue to elect people we believe will make sweeping changes, fix what's wrong with our lives, and land us on top of a golden pile of joy.  What a lovely imagination we have.  I suppose I'm being a bit too cynical; however, it is born of a view from history a half-century in the making. 

Nothing really changes all that much.  Occasionally, we see an important movement appear in our society.  We see a new level of civil rights; we have a moment of peace with other nations; we have a burgeoning economy after years of financial turmoil.  The truth is that we are creatures of habit.  We elect people into these offices with all the foibles and strengths to which any human being on this planet is beholden.  It's the way things are.  Superman is a fictional, cartoon character.  He treads the halls of neither the White House nor the Capitol Building. 

I know.  This is bad news.  One would think that as adults, this wouldn't be news either. 

We have 234 years of history in operating a government and we have continued in the pattern of election, reactive election, supportive election, and election every four to eight years since the inception of our Declaration of Independence.  When will we learn? 

Ultimately, we elect the best people we can to do a very hard job.  When we're in the election booth, we don't even realize just how much we depend on these simple individuals to fix our lives.  When they can't do it in the way we imagined they would, we get angry.  Sadly, that's just the way we operate.

Why can't we simply elect these people, like Barack Obama and Arlen Specter, knowing they will do what their integrity and intellect will allow, and that things will remain the same for the most part.  Then, when something really remarkable happens, we will be prepared to gratefully celebrate their accomplishments. 

Our expectations are very high for the people in Washington, D.C.  I know it's because so much depends on them, but how much are we doing to make sure they have the support and input from us?  How much are we doing to actively work to improve our lot beyond our own front door?  When we are all working with a global consciousness, then we can complain if we don't like what's happening.  We are idealists, but we must become activists.  Ideals are grand.  Actions change the world.  Until we realize this, we need to look within before battering those in our nation's and state's capitols.

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