The American Political System: What We Can Be Thankful For

With another presidential election when there was no mandate to do anything, one would be excused to be cynical and jaded about the state of our politics. If the last presidential election was about micro-targeting groups without any substantial message, this election was worse with the demonization of candidates and character assassination. Neither the 2012 or 2016 elections addressed the serious issues that confronts our polity today: the lack of credibility abroad, international and domestic terrorism, political gridlock, the federal government debt crisis, the growing social and economic inequality among our citizens, the third-world infrastructure we use, or the broken education system unsuitable for a globalized economy. And it doesn’t help that three of the four presidential candidates lack any political core believes where nobody knows what they really stand for. At least with Obama, whether you agree or disagree with his policies and perspectives, you know what he believes.

But with the election over and the Thanksgiving season approaching, I want to pause for a moment to reflect about what we can be thankful for in our political system. This is not some Pollyannish or therapeutic exercise but to step back and realize that, as troubling as things may seem at this moment, we are still blessed as a nation and therefore should be thankful for it. It would be worthwhile to count our blessing so as to prompt us to realize that good still is being done and we should do our part.

First, we should be thankful for our geographical position in the world, where we are protected by oceans to our east and west and friendly neighbors to our north and – in spite of what Donald Trump had said – our south, not to mention the size and variety of topography and abundance of natural resources. These natural barriers against foreign intrusion allowed our republic to develop peacefully without need of a standing army until we decided to shape global affairs, a period that allowed us to develop institutions and a culture conducive to democracy. Contrast our geographical position with those of Europe, Latin America, or China where hostile neighbors required them to have a standing army which made democracy more difficult to take a foothold in Europe and Latin America and nonexistent in Africa and China.

Second, we should be thankful for the arrangement of our government. As the Federalists and others have pointed out, federalism permits democratic government over a large territory where states can be laboratories of democracy where experiment can be performed before being adopted by the national government. The states with their counties, cities, and towns also enable citizens to participate directly in their governments, making us an active citizenry. And the national government allows us to take advantage of economies of scale, whether it is a single currency, national defense, the standardization of weights and measures, or the freedom to travel throughout without a passport. This arrangement of government was an experiment when first originated and from which we continue to benefit as democratic citizens.

Third, we should thankful for our political institutions with the oldest, written constitution in the world, separation of power and checks and balances, the rule of law, and the protection from the government in the form of rights. Our Constitution provides a stability to our regime not only because it is difficult to change but also because there is no need to, with our federal arrangements of government: as the laboratories of democracy, states can try new policies to see whether they work or fail and from which the national government can learn. Our institutional arrangements of separation of powers and checks and balances prevents power from being concentrated into one institution, thereby making tyranny less likely. Our rule of law ensures a predictability in our lives and makes overt acts of corruption – for the most part or perhaps until recently – exposed. Finally, the protection from our government in the name of rights permits us the freedom to speech, assembly, and practice our religion, as opposed to countries like Canada, France, or the Saudi Arabia. Power is diffused throughout our political institutions deliberately because we believe that no one person or institution has a monopoly over knowledge.

Fourth and finally, we should be thankful for our political culture with its values of equality, liberty, self-reliance, volunteerism, and support for democracy. These values enable our citizens to perform their civic duties, although admittedly we do not always do so, from our own volition: we are not coerced by the government to participate in mass parades or state rituals. Our belief that we are both equal and free provides us the opportunity to understand and support our government and, in turn, makes the government responsive to our concerns and demands. Our belief in self-reliance breeds an entrepreneurial culture in a market that is governed by the rule of law and standardization of measurements which permits economies of scale. And our belief in volunteering provides the social binds that ties us together as a local, state, and national community oriented towards the common good for all our people.

In spite of our troubles, and as a nation we always had them for there was no golden arcadia that the politicians and pundits claim, we are relatively better off than the rest of the world because of our geographical position, arrangement of government, political institutions, and values. Being able to understand better what we have allows us to be thankful for it and hopefully motivates us to become better citizens. Although the presidential election was disheartening in tone, and the result – depending upon your point of view – was not be ideal, we should be thankful for the blessings we have.

Like a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving dinner, we as a nation get together every four years to have a conversation about what we value, where we are, and what we want; and, like that family, we tolerate each other long enough to get through the meal and afterwards quickly go our separate ways. The gathering may not have been pleasant but we felt obliged to come home for dinner, and the fact that we came home together is an achievement enough. The turkey was good and house didn’t burn down and, even though we may cringe at it, we’ll be back together again next time.

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