What do you see when you turn on the television for the latest news on the upcoming election? If you live in the United States what you see is a President with a lousy approval rating (40%), Republican candidates so extreme that it would make even the most conservative of voters cringe, and a legislature who can’t seem to agree on a damn thing. What has become of politics in the United States? Is there something in the water or are all these politicians just losing their minds?
For starters many Republicans jumped on the grassroots Tea Party movement, an organization seeking to decrease the size of government and take out government influence from business. Ron Paul, the Libertarian candidate from Texas can be seen as one of the founders of this movement. Paul has taken an unwavering stance on small government and has opposed foreign action by the United States, never once changing these stances. This can be seen as part of the reason the Republican candidates as well as legislators have been very extreme in their views, refusing to compromise just about anything with Democrats in Congress or the President.
This all or nothing attitude was at first an effective strategy for the Republicans. Indeed such a stance helped Republicans win the House of Representatives back from Democrats and helped Democrats lose their filibuster proof majority in the Senate. Now it appears the tide is turning. As more people become unemployed, the inaction of their elected officials is becoming irritating. This recently showed when Republicans decided to agree to extend unemployment benefits and a payroll tax cut. Still there are areas where Republicans are showing no sign of backing down. Many would like to see the economy fixed by cutting spending without raising taxes, a move that is argued would hurt the poor while favoring the rich. Of the programs looking to be hit are Financial Aid, meaning that students who cannot afford to go to college would have to rely on loans and scholarships. We can only hope that after the election is finished, regardless of who and what party comes out on top, Congress will finally begin to get things done.