peel back effect
OPINION

Smyth: Can citizens save our broken politics?

Posted

Joe Smyth is the author of “Fixing America’s Broken Politics: Common Sense Solutions to the Issues That Divide Us.” A former editor of the Daily State News, he’s now retired, and the opinions expressed here are his own.

After observing American politics for more than six decades, I never imagined it could sink this low.

I realize that criticizing either Donald Trump or Joe Biden will offend many of you. The 2024 election presented such a dismal choice that many felt compelled to support either Trump or Kamala Harris. I understand that.

But I hope you recognize that this was a no-win choice. Biden and Harris leaned far left of common sense Americans and abused the separation of powers to impose their agenda. Meanwhile, Trump and JD Vance are authoritarians with little respect for the Constitution, using their power to reward supporters and punish dissenters.

Our Constitution established a government with a separation of powers because the Founders did not want an all-powerful president. Yet both Biden and Trump have disregarded constitutional limits on their power — something that should concern all of us, regardless of political affiliation.

We need a president who acknowledges our nation’s deep divisions and works to unite us rather than drive us further apart. Biden won only 51% of the popular vote in 2020 but governed as though he had a sweeping mandate. That’s one reason his party lost in 2024. Trump won with just 50% in 2024 — if he repeats Biden’s mistakes of an “imperial presidency,” his party will be punished in 2026.

In 2020, Biden promised to govern from the center, only to break that promise by becoming the most liberal and partisan president in American history. He vowed to “save democracy” yet selectively enforced laws, bypassed Congress with executive orders and defied the Supreme Court. He claimed to stand for law and order but instead politicized federal agencies to target political opponents, allowed his family to profit from his power and granted preemptive pardons to protect himself, his relatives and his allies. Even the most partisan Democrats should be outraged.

No wonder voters rejected him — and the vice president who admitted she wouldn’t have done anything differently. But, to reject the woke extremism of Biden and Harris in 2024, voters had to elect Trump, who had already disgraced himself four years earlier by attempting to overturn the government to remain in power, despite losing reelection.

Could Democrats and Republicans have given Americans a more depressing choice? Yet that was the choice, and Trump emerged victorious.

Many who voted for Trump in 2024 did so reluctantly — fingers crossed with one hand; noses pinched with the other — hoping that, at 78, he might have matured. But age does not always bring maturity. The new President Trump has already proven he is the same as before: a great entertainer and master of attention but self-centered, power-hungry, shamelessly greedy and brutally vindictive.

Most Americans wanted him to undo Biden-Harris excesses, and he has made progress on some fronts. But he has also taken Biden’s abuses of power to even greater extremes.

After promising to consider pardons “on a case-by-case basis” and claiming he didn’t condone violence, he issued mass pardons to supporters who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. He commuted sentences for those convicted of violent acts, even those who assaulted police officers. Even the most partisan Republicans should be outraged.

Emulating his favorite Russian dictator, Trump has withdrawn security protection from several former public servants whose lives are now at risk simply because they dared to criticize him.

America deserves better.

This nation was founded on the bold idea that every individual is free and equal. That the highest office — higher even than the president — is the citizens. That we would not be ruled by kings or dictators. That elected officials are public servants, not rulers. That we would be governed by laws, and that no one — not a Biden nor a Trump — is above the law.

This great nation has endured nearly 250 years. Can we survive another four? Hopefully, citizens will reclaim our nation from the self-serving politicians who have given us such grim choices.

As a citizen, you can take action:

  • Speak out against overreaching presidents and in favor of our constitutional separation of powers.
  • Don’t idolize politicians, especially those who claim to be our “saviors.” All humans are flawed; none are perfect.
  • Break out of partisan echo chambers. Expose yourself to diverse viewpoints, think independently and engage in honest, civil discussions.
  • Don’t demonize friends who disagree. Listen respectfully, seek understanding and learn from each other.
  • Support the American Promise constitutional amendment to limit political spending, so ordinary citizens — not just billionaires — have a voice in our democratic republic.
  • Back the Open Primaries movement to ensure that Americans don’t have to join a political party to have a say in choosing candidates.
  • Consider alternatives like No Labels or the Forward Party instead of supporting major parties that prioritize power over national interest.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.

Members and subscribers make this story possible.
You can help support non-partisan, community journalism.

x
X