The Blinding Light of Power

Former Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich appeared On Fox New Sunday today (8/22/2010). In his own way he sought to defend himself and explain his actions as Governor of Illinois. He said several times that what he was doing was "political horse trading." Every time he said that, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Rod Blagojevich is an example of someone from the Chicago Political Machine. Unfortunately too many of the political leaders in this country may feel the same way. They see political favors and power as something that should be traded. Instead of looking for the best person for a job they look to patronage. Instead of honest belief and loyalty they prey on fear and intimidation. Too many politicians have been blinded by the light of power.

I can not speak for all Americans, but I know that what I don't want our elected official to engage in political horse trading. Political patronage just breeds more corruption. Mr. Blagojevich does not see anything that he has done as wrong. This is one of the saddest parts for the citizens of Illinois. The fact that these types of politician only see power as a tool to maintain their own position and not to serve those that gave them their responsibilities to society. It seems that they have forgotten their swore duty and think that maintaining that power is good for everyone. This selfish quest for power can have nothing to do with money or wealth. It has everything to do with corruption.

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As a citizen I do expect selflessness from our public servants. I don't want people who only seek political patronage. I want people who are willing to consider the good of us all, not the good of a select few or members of one political party. I don't want people who have sold their souls to a single idea and are willing to listen to all good ideas. I'm tired of see politicians demonize anyone who disagrees with their ideas.


Many in government seem to think in black or white terms. I keep hearing the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader in the Senate claim that all opposition to their agenda is from partisan Republicans. They seem to not understand that the larger of the political voting blocks is the independents. This November we must remember the words of Blogo and how he sees nothing wrong with the abuses of power he so willingly used with no feelings of guilt. We must remove those leaders who can not understand their responsibilities to this country because they have looked too long into the blinding light of power.

©2010 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

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None of the Above

One interesting thing that has happened in the last week was the decision by the South Carolina Democrat Party to not overturn the will of the people by keeping Alvin Greene as their Senatorial candidate. Maybe some of those currently in power are beginning to finally understand the changes in the political winds that are blowing through this country. Those who run the national and local parties seem to be running scared in some states. It is becoming clear that the much demonized "TEA Party" has become a force within the system. The dismissive attitude by many of those in power has shown that the disconnect between those who rule and the ruled is great.

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Inspiring curious minds everyday. This division is very apparent in the results seen in the recent primaries. In the case of the South Carolina Senatorial Primary, it appears that the voters took the "none of the above" option. The members of the Democratic Party in that state were willing to vote for a totally unknown person. His opponent was well known and was considered to be the party choice. The thing that seems to be clear is that the mood of the voters has become something very different from past few elections.

South Carolina also presented to the Republicans an upset. The golden boy chosen to run for governor in that state could not win the primary. The desperate means used to attack his opponent also showed weakness from that party. This type of meltdown in these parties presents opportunities for new leadership to emerge. The members of the TEA party are proving that their voice must not be ignored, but those in power don't really seem to want to listen. If those in power don't learn, not only to listen but to respond, they will find that none of the above may become the preferred option on the ballots in November 2010 and 2012.

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©2010 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

The Shocker of South Carolina

I have been shocked for a couple of day. I must share a little about myself. In the mid 70s I worked and lived for a short time in South Carolina and became aware of the state's politics. In those days the Democrat Party was very powerful. The saying went: There are about 7 people who run the state. I know of at least one person who may have been one of them. Through my brief interaction with members of Democrat party, most who are dead now, I got a view into the state's real rulers. These people were major forces in the state. Through these individuals the Democrat party kept a major hold on the state. My experiences in the state were eye opening.

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I left the state many years ago, after my contract ended, and no longer stay in touch with anyone in the state. With the results of the June 8th Democratic Primary it appears that things have really changed. The fact that an unknown person, who did not have any support from the state party, would win the primary for the Senate seat for the Democratic Party, tells me a lot about how much the people of South Carolina have changed. The shock that the state party is publicly displaying, even accusing the GOP of running a ringer, tells me how far the once dominate party of the Palmetto State has lost its way and standing.

To think that someone could run against a major politician and will a major state-wide office and win as a complete surprise to the party is amazing. The once all might party is no simply a shadow of what it was 30 years ago. This whole episode demonstrates that the members of the party were willing to gamble on an unknown. This may not only be a sign that the American people are tired of politics as usual, but are also tired of the machines that are running the parties.

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The Democrat Party should stop blaming anyone but themselves. They should look at why they've lost control of their party. They should consider their own failures, at a time when the national party has had a strangle hold on the national government.

Is it time for the national party to realize that in their power grab has exceeded their grasp and the will of the people, which could spell the end of the party and not just their ability to keep their foot on the throats of the American People.

So maybe I shouldn't be shocked at this first sign of the downfall of the South Carolina Democratic Party, but it is amazing to see how fast things can turn in politics. But I must say that a message was sent. The question still remains: Did the party get the message or will they still think that they are living in their glory days? Will the national party also look to South Carolina for a lesson? We shall see if the shock in South Carolina becomes a national event and a sign of things to come, or just a flash in the pan that means nothing to the nation.

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©2010 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Is the American Two Party System Broken? Part 2

Do you know any "yellow dog" Democrats? These are people who were said that they would vote for a yellow dog, running as a Democrat, before they would vote for a Republican. For years people have treated their political affiliation as if it were pulling for a sports team. My parents were dedicated to the Democrat party, but could never explain their devotion. Far too many people treat politics as if it is a game. I've always considered myself to be an Independent. My political philosophy has always leaned somewhere between Libertarian and Republican.

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I looked at the Democrat party when I was young and I was never attracted to their beliefs. My first impressions of the Democrats was the Southern Democratic party of the Dixiecrats, George Wallace, and later Jimmy Carter. The party that fought civil rights and demonized Martin Luther King, Jr. They were the party that involved the US in the Vietnam war. Don't get me wrong I also lived through the Presidency of Richard Nixon and Watergate. But I found much more to dislike about the goals of the Democrat party. I voted for Gerald Ford and later Ronald Reagan.

The one thing that I understood very early was the dominance of the two party system. Third party candidates don't have a chance due to the way that the Republicans and Democrats have set up the system. Between gerrymandered districts and carefully crafted election laws, plus the spectator type relationship the general populous, the two parties have in effect locked third parties out of the system. The only way to change the system is to change the parties from the inside. As I discussed in Part 1 the two parties seem to be occupied by a number of people with the same goals. This goals are exactly opposite from my ideas of what makes this country great. But I could be wrong in believing that many of these people would have the integrate to actually stand for anything. In general many people drawn to politics seem to be self-centered and only worry about the next election.

The most dangerous person on earth can be the zealot. The person who has a mission and the determination to pass their agenda, no matter what. When a President stands before the American people and tells them that there is a crisis that requires drastic action, but once it is passed says that it was a 100 year old goal, we see agenda being more important then the country as a whole.

To save our country we must get more people to understand that there is good in our system and to get them engaged. We must educate more people on the system and how some of the changes that are occurring are endangering us all. We must be willing to make the sacrifices needed to save our freedoms and liberties and those of our children, grandchildren, and the future generations. We need to fix the two party system or we could find ourselves with a one party dictatorship or foreign domination. Our enemies are large in number, but we must be strong enough to resist the temptation of Socialism. We must fix the system before it is too late.

Part 2 of a series. Part 1 is here.

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©2010 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Is the American Two Party System Broken?

The founding fathers were very wise when they created the American system of governance. Considering the chaos and tyranny that governed the world in the 18^th century it is amazing that a system based upon the intricate checks and balances of this country was devised. Our system was originally designed and intended to protect the minority and the majority equally. This system had at least one major flaw, one of them being that they allowed the institution of slavery to continue. The resolution of that error was very costly. By ignoring the social consequences the nation was nearly lost. But it was saved and its fragile legacy lives on till today.

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As the years go by there is another flaw that is becoming more and more evident. The idea of seniority rule could cost us our very freedom. We have an entrenched bureaucracy consisting of career politicians and life long government employees. One of the biggest danger is the seniority of the politician. The American people for many years have punished politician and the party for unpopular actions or policies. But the system stays the same. In 2006 and 2008 the American people punished the Republican Party for not sticking to its principles. In districts throughout the country many representatives were shown the door and replaced with “blue dog” Democrats. This was an effort by many to take back our country and return our system to one that was more (lowercase) conservative.

It seems to be a sound principle to punish those who did not follow through on their promises. Holding our leaders to a higher principle is a good American (not just conservative) value that should not be abandoned. But as we have seen since the 2008 election, the people who took control were not the conservation “blue dogs” that were sent. The power just shifted to the senior members. We’ve put people like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Barney Franks, Ted Kennedy, and John Conyers, Jr. in charge.

Mr. Conyers has openly admitted that he is not qualified for the committee that he chairs. By saying that it would do him no good to read the Health Care Reform Bill, since he would need two lawyers to help him understand it, he in effect said that he does not have the skills need for his position. So how did he get this position? He got it through majority rule and seniority. Don’t get me wrong, I believe we must have a government run by the people. I just would like to see people who are qualified in leadership positions.