The Lack of Inspiration in US Politics

I have had it with US politics. It’s not because–or not ONLY because–the Trump Administration’s policies (I use the term extremely loosely) are uninformed, haphazard, and abusive, it’s because the entire process has become superficial and narrow. And while the Republicans seem to have cornered the market on superficial, narrow stupidity, the Democrats aren’t that far behind them.

The political system has been entirely taken over by marketing people. Political discourse is like one 30-second commercial after another, no vision, no depth, just slogans. No real sense of commitment or belief. No sense that anyone actually cares about something more important than getting re-elected. Exactly what in the hell did the Harris/Walz ticket stand for except “we’re nicer than they are” and “IT’S THE END OF DEMOCRACY! ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!”

When was the last time you heard a politician say anything that was inspiring? I mean truly inspiring, rhetorically inspiring? “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” inspiring? When was the last time you heard a politician quote a poem or a novel or a play? When did they last refer to a philosopher or a songwriter who wasn’t Taylor Swift? Campaign speeches have become a series of social media posts strung together in a row with all the energy and excotement of listening to a bowling ball rolling down the basement steps. Debates are no longer about ideas but just about gotchas, name calling, and fact-checking.

The alternative has been something like Elizabeth Warren’s “I’ve got a plan for that.” That’s not a vision , that’s a to-do list, and about as inspiring. “Hey, I’m smart–vote for me” is about you, not me or the people I care about. Nor does it make me want to go out and help make things happen. Biden never could inspire anyone, and once 2020 came and he was told he needed to be “stronger,” he just turned into an unpleasant, combative old man trying to sound tough. I’m surpriosed he didn’t get a tattoo. I like Pete Buttigieg because he’s good at explaining things in pleasant and accessible terms, but does he ever say anything that makes you want to yell “Hell, yeah”? (If so, you’ve lowered the bar for inspiration so low that all it takes is someone who isn’t bearing a chainsaw to earn your kudos.)

It’s time to start reading again, politicians! And I’m not talking about the latest Mitch Albom bestseller. Read something hard, read something beautiful, read something soaring. Keep an eye out for metaphors and analogies that can serve to illuminate something happening today, or better yet something that could improve the future. You want to differentiate yourself from the mouth-breathing Repubicans? Tell us something we didn’t know, surprise us with an idea we never thought of before. Not a string of factoids and numbers, but stories, images, examples, aspirations. Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride showed us how it’s done: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” That’s prophetic speech–a description of something wrong that happened in the past followed by a vision for the future. Something the speaker was committed to do or would die trying, and that made us want to cheer him on. I don’t need you to make me smile because you can dance–or can’t dance, as the case might be. After we saw Tim Walz talking while changing his truck’s air filter once, the joke got old. It was a marketing idea that was about an inch deep. “Oh, look, Tim is such a guy.” But let him talk about why feeding schoolchildren breakfast and lunch is the right thing to do and he comes across as passionate, committed, authentic, caring.

So it’s not about anger–anybody can look stern, sound angry, pound the lectern, scowl into the camera. That’s Trump’s whole schtick. No, it’s about something authentic, heroic, determined. Believe in something.

Inspiration doesn’t come from a spreadsheet; it comes from the heart, the guts, the emotions. Kick the marketers out of the room, refuse to pay attention to another poll, and follow your principles. Make us feel alive again.