To make some extra money I became a Knightcaller, bothering alumni and friends of the college three nights a week for $7.75/hr. I'm terrible. I've worked a week, got payed about $125, while raising $100. While the thought of owing this college money is not a new concept, my first (and only) donation provided me with a new and hopeful perspective on things.
It was about 15 minutes until quitting time on Tuesday and I was shooting a cool 0 for 17 from the field, well short of my 25% participation goal, when I dialed up a recent political science alum. I thought this is my chance, and after reminiscing about Dr. Billet, I successfully got shot down after the first ask, but I countered with how groups such as the Wartburg Democrats get students involved and provide unique experiences for students such as playing a key role in getting Barack Obama on campus.
He/she stopped me right in my tracks and informed me he/she was a VP of a Republican fundraising organization, and I saw 0 for 18 staring me in the face. He/she then mentioned he/she was celebrating the big win in Massachusetts, and I casually mentioned how Dr. Thomas was dreading the results Monday in Capstone as I was marking another "no pledge" on my sheet.
Instantly, as if from a source from above, the caller chuckled, expressed his/her sympathy for me and our class, remembering The Tragedy of Political Science, promptly gave me some advice on calling then put $100 on his/her card to save me from another night of an empty pledge sheet.
I walked away from the experience realizing that even though we have our political differences, Americans from both sides of the political spectrum can still find ground to relate on, whether it's helping those in Haiti or the dread of a capstone text.
Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, but the only way politics in the US is going to be taken seriously, and more importantly become an effective institution, is by recognizing our differences, instead of promoting them. Collectively we have to find common ground to better society or else run the risk of making another edition of The Tragedy of Political Science necessary to describe our current mistakes that will plague society for years to come.
A change in US politics may seem as likely as Brett Favre staying retired, but things were looking pretty bad Tuesday night in the basement of Founders when differences were put to the side, familiarities were established, and action was taken toward a common goal.
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This story brings a smile. It warms the heart to know that Ricci is remembered in such terms. But Ricci, we have to remember, is only trying to make sense out of chaos, as is true of most political science. One way of making sense out of chaos is to get cynical and lower expectations of our political system, especially after today's Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations to expend unlimited amounts of their general accounts money on behalf of, or against, candidates for office. Keith Olbermann, among others, has called this the end of democracy and the worst decision in SC history. I'm not so pessimistic. I believe corporate influence on our politics is already pervasive and corrupting. All one need do is to look at the so-called healthcare debate: the insurance lobby basically wrote the Senate bill, and the lion's share of anti-reform commercials were financed by PACs hiding behind public-interest group names who channeled their money through the Chamber of Commerce. Likewise with the snail's pace of financial and banking re-regulation. It took the looming results in Massachusetts to get Obama on message in his Saturday radio address and his public declaration today that he was serious about real reform on Wall St. As with life itself, sometimes failure is a blessing, a surprise gateway to learning, and to real hope. If you haven't read Drew Westen's piece on Obama finally getting his bipartisan wish via the Brown election, it's worth a look on Huffington Post. It makes an important point that Obama seems not to have gotten: while, as Joe says, we do occupy common ground and need to learn how to deal with our common problems, it's really an escape from politics to expect those problems will be solved without conflict. So far, Obama has not used his ample talents to make a case that the interests he decried when he ran for office do not in the least fear the power of a president who's not willing to do battle against the powerful. Tuesday may be the wake-up call he needed to start acting like a president, and today's decision in favor of corporate America might well convince journalists that following the money is not so arcane and complicated that ordinary Americans won't be able to see who among our political leaders is willing to be bought and sold.
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