The Great Political 'Engagement' Conundrum, Part One

I always welcome being influenced. Having my universe expanded. Being nudged in a slightly different direction, allowed to shift my perceptions about something...even if it's just a little.

Ryan McGreal of 'Raise the Hammer' accomplished this recently in a previously-mentioned private exchange about local politics, accountability, what to look for in a candidate...

...and what I've now come to see as the core element in improving politics in general (but specifically the municipal animal): engagement on the part of the citizenry.

Not to put too fine a point on it: I believe the notion of identifying what's 'wrong' with the system is not so easily accomplished by simply pointing fingers at politicians in general, or transgressing /disappointing/damnable ones in particular and demonizing them, calling for people to 'Vote them out!' and ushering in a new crop (sorry for this riff, but I can't help but be reminded of The Who song, as posted above, with the lyric 'Meet the new boss...same as the old boss...'), it actually involves the other side of the compact: the voter.

This week I've had the privilege of having some thoughtful and spirited conversations with Mahesh P. Butani, one of our mayoral candidates. Last night, while we were delving into all manner of issues, from the esoteric to the topical-local, we touched on this subject. Mahesh introduced a connected notion, and soon enough, we had managed to plough some fresh intellectual soil, the result of which was me finding myself once again bring rotated a few degrees from my default, (to the south-southwest, for the record) and considering things in an entirely different way.

I consider myself an optimistic pessimist. Not a cynic, but guardedly pragmatist infused with the love of potential. As testimony to these seemingly contrasting mindsets, two quotes:

"If you go about trying to do those things you'd like to look back on having accomplished, you'll never suffer from regret...only fatigue."

"Every situation's potential has a natural ceiling. Unless you change at least one of its contributing factors, you're always going to keep hitting it."

My sense of the local political scene (and while what I'm going to say is applicable to all levels of government, here I'm focusing on things-municipal) is that the system doesn't work.

I suppose the difference between my answer to 'Why?' and that of so many others who invest time and online energy expressing their outrage is that unlike them, I don't believe the crux of the problem lies with the politicians, or even questionable policies they've implemented. I see the problem as being a disassociation on the part of the voter, the average constituent, a detachment from the process...then the resultant frustration and disappointment when things just aren't being managed well by City Council...with everything eventually turning to righteous indignation, and calls for 'Off with their heads!'

Next up: Why I feel all of us are far more responsible for this 'mess' than we're likely willing to consider.