Everyone involved in politics, whether
as a politician or a pundit, should post a public reflection of their
errors every half decade (or the end of every term of office). Too
many politicians pretend they've never erred. The electorate rewards
those who never apologize, or show weakness, even after retiring from
public office. Obama could express regret for drone strikes killing innocent people. Bush could say how sorry he was for devastating Iraq (which didn't have weapons of mass destruction). These apologies wouldn't repair the destruction, nor resurrect the dead, but they would demonstrate self-reflection. The contrition wouldn't be sufficient. Instead of exerting themselves to repair the damage, they accept lucrative producer positions, or paint pictures. Jimmy Carter's humanitarian work spotlights the lack of humanity of his colleges. He spent decades alleviating the suffering of others, while they offered no remorse, working only to entrench their power or enrich themselves.
Hopefully we can agree that my errors
in judgment are less deadly.
Even though I started Awkward Mixture when I was twenty-eight, had earned a degree in environmental politics, minored in political science, voted in two presidential elections, and watched seven years of the Republican party's historic obstruction of Obama's Presidency, I was still remarkably naive about politics. So gullible, that I recommended Democrats follow the Biden rule. I wrote about “the good of the country,” and “unity,” which Mitch McConnell and his Republicans made a mockery of. Over the past three decades George W. Bush, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy and other Republican leaders demanded unity when in power, and yet refused to condemn the most divisive President in modern history. Nor did they ever unify under President Obama. My reasoning for Democratic disarmament over the Merrick Garland nomination was simple; Hillary Clinton would certainly defeat Donald Trump. Another error of judgment.
The social conditioning was deeper than a simple desire to get along. In spite of, or because of my education, I was convinced that the Supreme Court was apolitical. Imagine the idiocy of considering a body of people (some of whom are politicians), picked by politicians, considering political questions, as not political. Today I shudder at the sentence, “Why is everyone so unconciliatory about the Supreme Court?” Because its composition affects political outcomes. Yet, I still stand by my position that the Supreme Court should be composed of an even number of justices (though some of the language is too conciliatory for my 2021 ear).
There aren't any other articles I strongly regret (let me know if you think I should reconsider one or another), but I still have other political regrets for the blog.
I voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. During the 2020 primary I donated to both Sanders and Warren. Because of that donation, the Sanders campaign reached out to me to volunteer. I had never helped a campaign before. The thought of calling random people unnerved me. Who eagerly anticipates calling strangers to ask which political candidate they support, in such a rancorous environment? But, while each call hit me with a jolt of anxiety, like hearing the ghost speak through the spirit box in Phasmophobia, the trembling eased with experience. The people on the other side of the phone don't know who is calling, can't harm the caller, and aren't mad at you personally. Most people reply pleasantly, or hang up without speaking. Only a small handful express anger. In spite of my increasing desire for Sanders to win the primary, I didn't exert any serious effort. A year later I regret rejecting offers to make additional phone calls, or go canvassing. I only volunteered for one day a month (about six to eight times in total), and regret shirking that responsibility. It wouldn't have changed the outcome of the primary, but it would be easier to accept the outcome without guilt.
A third regret relates to the focus of the past three years. I've lived in Amesbury since 2017, and I haven't written enough about its politics. I started writing the subsection, the Amesbury Additional, in April of 2019, about the building of a new elementary school. With two young sons, I was personally invested in the information, and the outcome. I also wrote a single article about the Black Lives Matter movement in Amesbury. That's a pitiful four articles in three years. Local politics is the foundation of state and national politics, worthy of greater attention Also, these local articles receive more traffic than most other articles on Awkward Mixture.
Going forward I hope to be less naive about politics, (though just as idealistic), more willing to volunteer for campaigns that interest me, and more engaged in the local community. I think those are goals that we can all hope to achieve as the pandemic wanes.
Recent:
Relevant:
The Presidential Events: February 2021
Who Would You Rather Buy Elections in the United States?
Politics is Like Hockey: No One Understands the Penalties and No One Cares
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