There is an old line in Washington that describes “political leadership” as determining which way the parade is going and getting in front of it. It is all too true.
Politicians are typically blamed for actions and statements that do not promote the public good. The blame really lies elsewhere. It lies with us, the voters. On so many important issues, voters are the real “deciders” — for better or for worse.
Most political figures who manage to get themselves elected have a well-developed sense of what voters are thinking, and what their opinions, beliefs, emotions and biases are. They get elected in large part by appealing to those characteristics — or at least by not saying anything that conflicts with them.
There is an old line in Washington that describes “political leadership” as determining which way the parade is going and getting in front of it. It is all too true.
A reflection of this is found in the supportive remarks made by Republicans regarding Donald Trump, who they recognize is very popular with the rank-and-file of their party. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, after blaming Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, for the events that day at The Capitol, has criticized the Justice Department for handing down federal indictments against Trump — even when one of the indictments was for inciting the events of Jan. 6. And most of the Republicans running against Trump for the GOP nomination contorted themselves to defend him at the same time they tried to convince voters that they would be better presidential candidates.
If you want to change what politicians do and say, don’t try to change them: Rather, work to change the thoughts, opinions, beliefs, emotions and biases of their constituents. Voters can be changed, but it requires much effort, and it usually takes some time.
A good example of a sea change in the views of the public, followed by a real modification in the acts and statements of many politicians, can be seen in the history of gay rights.
Until the latter part of the 20th century, LGBTQ behavior was thought of negatively by an overwhelming number of voters, and prejudiced jokes told in public were often met with laughter, not with condemnation. The first federal bill to project gay individuals from discrimination was not introduced until the mid-1970s, and it went nowhere. As late as 1988, The National Opinion Research Center found that only 12% of Americans supported same-sex marriage. Today, 71% of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to a Gallup poll. A determined and well-financed effort changed public attitudes toward gay people, which in turn was reflected in the changed public positions of many elected officials.
The fact that the attitudes of voters can generate a real change in how politicians make decisions can also have a serious downside. A 2016 study conducted by professors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Tufts University concluded that “roughly 40 percent of Americans tend to favor authority, obedience and uniformity over freedom, independence and diversity.” If another 10% were to join them, it would become difficult to argue that a U.S. dictatorship is not a real possibility.
Shakespeare famously wrote hundreds of years ago in “Julius Caesar” that “the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.” But Pogo cartoon creator Walt Kelly perhaps put it most succinctly in the last century: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Kenneth S. Birnbaum (kbirnb@aol.com) has served in the legislative branch as counsel to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and in the executive branch as director of congressional relations for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
