Patriot Games…thoughts from the 4th of July weekend

I’ve lived in Phoenix for several years now and I still haven’t gotten used to celebrating the 4th of July here. That is because we typically flee to the north for the holiday where we can celebrate with parades, chuck wagon breakfasts, 5k runs, and water fights. This was the first year that was actually spent here. And while yes, we did have a nice neighborhood parade/breakfast, it was a quick operation designed to end before the heat pushed the mercury from oppressive to insanely oppressive. So we joined the throngs of people and headed to….yes, the mall.

It was strange indeed. I sat in the main hallway waiting while Jodi thumbed her way through the Anthropologie. I observed countless people going up and down the concourse just like a typical Saturday. There were no visible indications of the holiday other then a few stores advertising a few sales that mentioned the day. I sat there waiting and thinking about our evening plans. Back home in Utah there were myriad patriotic events complete with fireworks. Here the only major advertised event was a party in Tempe.

So we wrapped up the day with a BBQ and a little emptiness. I thought about what made this so weird and the big common denominator was tradition, or lack thereof. In Phoenix the heat is so brutal it prevents any great massive celebrations or activities that might engender grand traditions or displays of patriotism. Most people flee to cooler climes or visit relatives up North. The result is that there is little going on and little that resembles the pomp and circumstance of my youth.

Moving on……

During the week of the fourth I read “What Happened”, the book by Scott McClellan. It was a pretty honest, and sometimes negative account, of his experience as the Press Secretary in the Bush Whitehouse. It was of particular interest to me due to the fact that my friend also served in the Administration as a Spokesman.

I, like many Americans, have become more and more jaded with the direction of our Country and politicians over the last few years. 8 years ago I was staunchly Republican who saw Bush as the man who would cross the Political divide and lead Washington out of the cesspool that had been created by a few decades of partisanship and bitterness. The world was more black and white and absolute back then.

Now things have changed. I’ve seen leaders in the Republican Party do the same things that I once excoriated the Democrats for doing. I’ve seen countless more posturing and I’ve seen less accomplished. I’ve witnessed our Country go from being an economic and global power to a “has been” with little respect and a foundering economy. This is just the past few years!

“What Happened” discusses this environment in some length and blames it on the “zero sum game” environment of Washington, the quest for power, and the persistence of the “permanent campaign” where decisions are based on polls and marketing. In Scott’s mind the Bush Whitehouse entered Washington with good intentions but quickly got bogged down in the game that has been played there since the Nixon days.

It was an interesting read and I feel that it effectively captures the mood of all those Americans that feel like Washington has become completely disaffected from reality. I’m glad that I read it because it made me sit back and take a look at my political tendencies and assess if the current political leadership is capable of solving our complex problems.

I think that a grass roots change is fomenting. In the past it was easy to have an apathetic opinion towards politics because we all had jobs and our lifestyles weren’t being threatened. We cast a blind eye to all the politicians and their shenanigan’s because our lives were fine. Now the economy is on the rocks and years of myopia and special interests have caught up and we all have to come to grips with this ugly situation. This problem might require some sacrifice and concessions; two things that have been in short supply the last couple of years.