Are Americans ready for reality politics?

Some evidence suggests that many Americans want compromise to reduce political gridlock and "get things done". However, that really isn't the case. Most of those people want the other side to compromise. That just isn't going to happen with the polarized, corroded politics we have now. U.S. politics is corroded by emotion or faith based political and religious ideology, which probably distorts reality to the point that political policies based on false reality are mostly nonsense. The power of ideology to distort reality is astounding.

 USS Blueridge with South Korean destroyer ROKS Yulgok Yil

Sea of Japan, March 6, 2012

U.S. politics is also corroded by (i) special interest money, (ii) political parties, especially the republican party, focused on their bitter fight to the death, (iii) politicians who are out for themselves and (iv) an infotainment-focused press who, for the most part, buys into and does not seriously question the fundamentals of any of the nonsense. Honest service to the public interest is largely lost among all those other more important priorities. Everyone has their agendas and, with few exceptions, serving the public isn't a major agenda item.

The toxic stew

Collectively those toxic ingredients overwhelm the efforts of people with the moral courage to face reality and try to solve problems using non-ideological, non-self serving common sense. Those efforts are usually derailed by the toxins. It is easy to argue and defend the proposition that people who try to honestly face reality for what it is have much more moral courage than red meat-eating ideologues who check their brains at the door and let their ideology do their thinking and talking for them.

 U.S Army patrol (M240B machine gun)

Paktya province, Afghanistan, March 2, 2012

Facing reality takes courage, especially in the face of wealthy special interests spinning their false realities, i.e., creating and/or pandering to false realities, to get what they want. Special interests getting what they want requires excellent propaganda skills and patience in addition to the cash. On the other hand, being an ideologue is easy, simple and psychologically comfortable. That's why it is so popular. True independents, maybe 10-15% of voters, who can go with either party are just a fraction of people who call themselves independents. Everyone else pretty much lines up with their ideologies and/or self-interests when it is time to vote.

 Sailors man the rails of the carrier USS John C. Stennis as it arrives in San Diego

San Diego bay, February 27, 2012

Americans are not ready

The most obvious conclusion is that Americans are not ready for reality politics. Facing harsh, unspun reality, e.g., the federal debt and a need for effective government, is just too intimidating for the average politician and voter. That brand of politics could lead to real discomfort, both psychological and otherwise. We are not going to get much hope or change from either party or from politics as usual. What that will lead to is anyone's guess. Defenders of the status quo will argue that things will turn out just fine. Despite that defense, the vibe sensed here is that things are going to get very ugly fairly soon (within 2-4 years or so) and stay that way a very, very long time (15-30 years or so).

With any luck, that sense of the future will turn out to be completely wrong. But at the moment, California Moderates would not bet any money on it. The stew just looks to be too toxic for a better outcome.