The Greatest Political Lie Americans Believe

"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults," - Alexis de Tocqueville.

Flags and fireworks are everywhere! Every article of clothing imaginable is patterned after the American flag. I imagine that watching the 4th of July as a non-American would be pretty confusing—maybe even disconcerting if you’re British! After spending three 4th’s overseas (one in a combat zone pulling security), I believe in going hard for the 4th of July. This year however, due to outside circumstances, I spent more time relaxing and reflecting on our nation. My reflections did not leave me feeling positive. It seems like our civic culture is in a bit of a crisis. You’re likely thinking that’s an understatement; I agree, but I think it’s important to be measured. The boy who cried wolf is a cautionary tale, and I’m old enough to remember that, according to the media and talk show hosts, our nation should’ve been destroyed something like 4 times in the last decade. But our civic culture is definitely struggling, and I believe it is largely because of one big political lie America’s believe and one lesson from our founding that we have forgotten. Together they aren’t capable of fixing our nation, but they would certainly improve our straits.

The biggest lie Americans believe about politics is that they can’t make a difference. I understand that in a country of millions it is hard to believe that one vote makes a difference, until it does. It’s not just one person who believes their vote doesn’t matter, it’s thousands. With a couple thousand in every district, those are election-changing numbers up and down the ballot. For those that follow politics, imagine how different our recent political conversations would be if one senate seat had swung the other way. Heck, you might never have heard the phrase ‘human infrastructure’ if that had happened.

Your vote matters, and it matters even more at the local level. Everyone still watches the legacy media that everyone knows is terrible and partisan, but few take the time to research the people who will be running the government that provides their essential services. These last couple years have reminded Americans that it matters who runs their police departments and their school boards. This lack of attention is not healthy for our civic culture. Also, being involved in primaries and caucuses is critical. That is where the most varied candidates are.

Your ability to make a difference extends beyond just voting though; making a difference is way more than posts on social media. I know several people who preferred a presidential candidate in 2020 and shared posts and memes in support. The problem is that they didn’t vote. Anyone who thinks that social media is how they make a difference in American politics needs to take one look at Twitter. It is a dumpster fire that tries to convince people that the sky is falling and nothing matters. Meanwhile, the people who will decide elections don’t have Twitter accounts or care what’s trending. Seriously, do you think most suburban moms in Georgia have Twitter? Or many senior citizens in Florida?

Now, lets talk about the lesson from the founding we have forgotten. It is personal responsibility for our political system and civic climate. I get that a lot of people hate the founders. Personally, I think they hate the wrong people. If we had continued electing people of the same quality as the founders, then slavery never would’ve survived in this country as long as it did. They came closer to ending it than anyone else before the Civil War. Should’ve they have ended it from the start? Of course. Seriously though, people should hate more on the representatives and senators from before the civil war and after it.

The founders fought a revolution, then built a political system that didn’t work and had to build a new one. Within 20 years, they radically changed their political systems and with it the world. Not only did they take their politics more seriously, they were willing to work together to find solutions. That sounds better than our current political class who are more concerned with soundbytes and lobbyist dollars than what’s right for the country. The founders did a lot of things wrong, but they had the political will to get things done and they took responsibility for the political systems that permeated their lives. A quote from C.S. Lewis gives an excellent perspective on approaching deeply flawed figures of the past.

“People were no cleverer then than they are now, they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.”

I’m hopeful that things are starting to change. The media has served as interpreters between the political sphere and regular citizens for too long. Now our society has woken up to their biases, and honestly just the poor quality of people who both fill our political positions and report on them. We know they are lying to us and constantly inventing new ways to do so. Perhaps our disdain for our governmental figures is the most unifying piece of American civic life. On that note, I think that almost everyone would agree that our civic life needs refreshing; otherwise, our political systems will shake themselves apart.

So never believe the lie that your vote doesn’t matter, and take responsibility for the politics around you. I guarantee that if more American’s did that and spent less time tweeting or watching the news, our country would be a much better place to live. Despite our flaws, I’m grateful to live here. I can’t think of anywhere else on this planet I would rather live. Every other country has flaws and troubled history (Canada) or is downright evil (China). Mostly, I’m just grateful that I got to spend this 4th of July with my family here in America, not deployed and pulling security out of a vehicle turret.