Democrats’ Citizenship Will Be Tested – oh, and Mike Returns

by Michael Bryan

The Obama Administration will test Democrats' in ways that being the
loyal opposition during the lost Bush years never could.

We were
righteous. We were powerless. We were vindicated. We were innocent.
Now, with Obama in the Oval and Democrats in utter control of Congress,
we are none of those things. Suddenly, the Democratic Party and its
elected officials can shape the world; the question now arises, what
happens when what is created is not to our liking?

We knew what to do when the detested Bush and his party of greed and
hypocrisy were in charge: march, organize, shout, condemn, etc. But
what shall Democrats do when they disagree whole-heartedly with what
the Democratic caucus and President Obama are up to?

The temptation is
to become apologists for their actions. Research has shown clearly
that partisans, confronted with facts that demonstrate hypocrisy by one
of their own, will rationalize it away – smooth it over mentally to
make it more comfortable. It is much harder to remain open-minded,
cleave to your values, and condemn those actions.

Rationalizing away uncomfortable facts is what partisans and
politicians do. Making compromises, seeing the other side, achieving
what seems possible: this is the role of politicians.

Following your
conscience, articulating marginalized (i.e., rationalized away) views, and
demanding what you believe is right – even if what is right seems
impossible: this is the role of a citizen. Many of us who believed
naively that everything would be fine once Democrats were in charge are
now going to have our ability to put our citizenship ahead of our
partisanship severely tested.

AfPak, detainees, torture prosecutions, Abu photos, Congressional investigations, mountaintop removal, etc.: there is fault out there to find.

There are many very difficult problems that have been left for our
creaky and balky political system to deal with. And like it or not,
fair or not, Democrats have been left with the responsibility and duty
to try to address these many complex and intractable problems. I
believe that, within the constraints of their roles, our
representatives in Congress and our President will attempt in good
faith to resolve these many problems – and frequently they will get it
dead wrong. What to do?

I believe that those of who have the interest and inclination to follow
public affairs should react as citizens, not just as partisans. We
should not rationalize and defend. We should oppose, and explain why.

I write this defense of citizenship because, obviously, I find myself
frequently in disagreement with the decisions taken by the elected
representatives of my party, including my President. That doesn't mean
I don't support my party, or that I wish others to take power instead;
it means that as a citizen, I feel it my duty to explain why I think
they are wrong, and not to rationalize away my discomfort at finding
myself at odds with my faction.

With this ideal of citizenship foremost on my mind, I once again take
up my pen. Some of you might have noticed that I have written
infrequently on this blog over the past several months. The reason is
that I discovered, in the rudest, most abrupt fashion, that I have a
heart condition. I needed all my energy to heal, return to normal life,
and adjust to managing the problem. Even now, daily life frequently
takes everything I have, leaving nothing for this forum. But I hope
that as I recover and gain momentum, I will more frequently be a
contributor to this forum, rather than mainly an enthusiastic and
grateful reader.

David Safier and Arizona Blue Meanie, along with the occasional contributions of a few others, have exceeded my wildest
expectations. They have more than filled in, they have transformed and
enriched this blog. My most heart-felt thanks to them. Readership is higher than it has ever been while
not in the thick of an election cycle. If fact, I imagine that, to many
readers, they are the blog – not I. And that's wonderful.

It is perhaps the
most satisfying thing about any endeavor to see it grow beyond you.
This blog is no longer just about me; it is a forum that has found
purpose beyond merely serving as a conduit for my own opinions. I
welcome and embrace that. Of course, my opinion will still appear here,
but I hope that so will those of others who are deeply concerned about
public policy and have a desire to reach out to Arizona progressive
community.