We’ve seen it a thousand times. Election results come in and neither party has gained a majority. Great. Now, exactly nothing will get done for the next two years until the next election, when maybe, just maybe, things will be different. But they never are. How is it that we can have two parties with wholly opposing views on the ballot and no one ever wins? The only election with a “winner” is the presidency but the results flip parties every cycle and the president also never gets anything done because they are too busy reversing the policies of the previous power-holder.
Then we the people, sit back and wonder why nothing changes. Why can’t they fix this?? We can yell from the rooftops but no one is listening. We are shouting at ourselves. Did we not elect these people? But when given a binary option it’s really no wonder we find ourselves in this position. I have lived on both sides of the party lines. Believe it or not, most people on both sides want the same things. Turn off your TV for an hour and go outside and talk to your neighbor. With the experience of fanatics (which are few and far between) most people are very reasonable and understand the importance of compromise and discourse. I can begin a conversation on a controversial topic with someone vehemently opposed to my position and find at least one point upon which we can agree.
This is the power of people. We do not deal in binaries like robots. We can sympathize, empathize, learn, and grow. It is high time we exercise this power by electing officials that are also people, not bought and sold by companies and lobbyists. We are supposed to be a government for the people, by the people. To be human is to be able to see both sides.