America is headed in the wrong direction. No, we’re not talking about our supposed march toward socialism or the passage of the health care bill. We’re referring to the ongoing assault on moderation, with Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak being the latest casualty.
According to the Associated Press, Stupak’s Michigan district “has a history of electing moderates more concerned with getting federal money for local projects and helping constituents deal with government agencies than with partisanship or ideology.” Stupak embodied this moderation, according to a political science professor cited in the article.
Appropriately, days before the House vote, Michigan Rep. Stupak struck a deal with President Barack Obama that all but assured passage of the president’s health care bill. The result of this compromise was an executive order from the President barring federal funds for abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is endangered.
This anti-abortion victory by conservative Democrats was deemed a “baby killer” by right-wing Republicans, who say an executive order can be retracted at any time. More recently, though, Stupack’s compromise has resulted in political suicide. Republicans have stamped the conservative Democrat as the first casualty of “ObamaCare” after Stupak announced on April 9 that he would not seek re-election for a 10th term.
Nevertheless, even with his brokering of the oxymoronically dubbed “baby killer” executive order, according to David Carlson, a political science professor at Northern Michigan University, Stupak would have “absolutely” won re-election. Some speculate that threats against his life may have pushed him to not seek re-election. Stupak, however, has stated that flights between Washington D.C. and Michigan and a lack of time with his family have influenced his decision.
Rep. Stupak is definitely not the first moderate to fall off the political map and he won’t be the last. Most may not remember Sen. John McCain’s maverick qualities, but we do. After his run for president in 2008, McCain took a sharp turn to the right. The senator’s American Conservative Union rating, a 100-point scale that rates the conservativeness of American senators and representatives, jumped 33 points from 2008 to 2009.
Americans have long prided themselves as a nation of moderates and this moderation has come from a multitude of ideas. But as moderate legislators dwindle in the House and Senate, what is left for Americans to do?
The answer is simple: Circumvent partisan extremists by voting. In the world’s shining example of democracy, voter turnout is pathetic and this American apathy obliterates moderation. Statistics compiled by a Stanford University professor, dating back to the 1940s, indicate that more often than not, partisan voter turnout is overwhelmingly higher than that of moderate voters. Fittingly, in the land of American politics, partisanship has become king.
It’s truly a shame when Americans lack the passion to exercise a privilege thousands have died for.
We recommend ignoring the titles of Republican and Democrat, and voting for the candidate that most benefits you. If you end up voting for a Republican president and a Democrat senator, don’t consider yourself a hypocrite. As Morris P. Fiorina, author of “Divided Government,” has explained, split-ticket voting, which results in a seemingly hypocritical outcome, leads to balanced policy and a moderate government.
Yes, we want a balanced government; sharp turns to the left or right often indicate the involvement of special interest groups. The quality of American government ultimately rests in the hands of the voter. If apathy prevails then so will special interests, and people like Rep. Stupak and Sen. McCain will be forced to either fall off the map or conform to political special interests groups.
A future of partisan extremism is most certainly bleak. The American public is beyond the labels of Democrat and Republican, but this only matters when the people vote.
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