The American System of Governance - Essay Example

?One unique issue with so-called American axioms is with regards to the overall level of applicability they have. As with stereotypes, political maxims might be useful in defining a certain percentage of the way in which the process occurs; however, they are ultimately unfit with regards to explaining the entire process. In this way, for purposes of this brief analysis, the author will consider the American political Maxim of voting being the lifeblood of the democratic process. As a means of ultimately dismissing this Maxim as incomplete and incapable of defining the current political environment, the author will seek discuss other salient definitions of what defines the democratic process as well focusing a level of analysis with regards to what specifically is wrong with placing too high an emphasis upon the act of voting in and of itself as a means of defining democracy. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the reader should come to a full and complete understanding and appreciation for the fact that poaching in and of itself should not be held as the highest representation of the Democratic process. For instance, there are many highly undemocratic nations around the world to participate in the voting. For instance, history is replete with examples of nations that it held fraudulent elections as a means of seeking to convince the respective stakeholders within their societies that their governments is ultimately legitimate. Within such a function, the voting process in and of itself cannot and should not be understood to be defined as the true lifeblood of a democracy (Lever 225). Rather, voting is merely an exhibition of the good faith that the stakeholders within society understand their role with relation to the governing authority. For instance, although the United States might wish to believe that it exhibits the highest level of democracy within the world, the fact of the matter is quite the contrary. Ultimately, only two choices are given with regards to the political party affiliation that the candidates have to offer. Naturally, there is also the political affiliation of independent; however this is rarely used. Whereas compared to the other nations in the world, a litany of political parties help to define the way in which key interests of the populace are illustrated, the United States system only allows for choice between two political parties. In such a way, the level and extent to which voting within such a two-party/limited system serves to be the lifeblood of democracy ultimately comes under a high level of scrutiny (Coley 6). Naturally, voting within such a context is necessarily cheapened as compared to voting within a context where greater level of choice exists. Ultimately, the point that should most be understood within the preceding analysis is with regards to the fact the process of voting in and of itself does not guarantee democracy anymore than evidence of political opposition disproves the evidence of a dictatorship. More importantly, with respect to the American system of governance, the main objective that this author has is with regards to the level and extent of the knowledge base that the voters are bringing to the election cycles. Although it is oftentimes been the case that scholars have looked down upon the average voter as misinformed and ultimately provincial, statistics in recent years have underscored the fact that the American voting populace is becoming increasingly clueless with regards to both the domestic political situation and the global realities that define the world in which we live. Within such an understanding, the process of voting itself must be understood to be of secondary or even tertiary importance as compared to the level of information and for knowledge that the voter himself/herself is able to exhibit with regards to the many issues that inform different elections that take place within a democracy. Whereas it is not the purpose of this analysis to advocate any type of a poll tax or regression into many of the previously practiced undemocratic processes surrounding the voting history of the United States, it should be noted that mere participation alone should not be championed above all else. Rather, a much more effective Maxim would necessarily be for a voting populace to ensure that they are cognizant of all issues and have at least the general working knowledge with how these issues affect the system prior to engaging in the civil obligation of voting. In addition to merely being misinformed, the overall level of knowledge that is illustrated within a democracy is correspondingly linked to the type of policies and actions that such a democracy engages in. Due to the very notion and definition of the way in which democracy is carried out, and ill-informed populace is more likely to elect and promote ill-informed politicians who will in turn represent the misinformed and unintelligent needs and requests of the voters that they most directly represent. Although this necessarily present something of a negative view of the situation in which the United States currently finds itself in, it is nonetheless appropriate and applicable. Another tangentially related aspect of this flawed Maxim is with regards to the fact that if one takes the statement literally, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the more voters that participate the better the democracy will somehow be. Naturally, the lunacy of such statement is of course instantly recognized when it is placed within such clear and concise logic (Lieberman 803). However, the sheer size of the voting bloc does little to impact upon the level of democracy that is seen within the system. Arguably, the larger the voting demographic, the less important the individual vote comes in the more important key trends and desires of groups must be counted over the more nuanced aspects of representation and democracy. It must be understood that one of the means by which this maxim has come to be established and cemented in the American mind is due to the fact that both political parties in the United States have placed a high level of emphasis on respective “get out to vote” efforts. In such a way, the rhetoric surrounding these “get out to vote” efforts has often been misconstrued and misinterpreted within the American dynamic to mean that voting somehow represents the embodiment of both patriotism and democracy (Brooke 189). Rather than merely representing a civic responsibility to maintain formed decision regards the candidates given election cycle, the political process itself has been partially hijacked by the interests of these two specific groups and their re-identification of what ultimately defines democracy has been fraudulently created. Ultimately, the intent of this brief analysis has not been to cheapen or misrepresent the importance of the process of voting. It is the firm belief of this author that voting is one of the most important civil obligations that the citizen can engage with; however it cannot and should not be misconstrued as the sole determinant and “lifeblood” of democracy. Moreover, voting in and of itself is a worthless and futile practice as long as the individuals who are engaging in such a practice remain blissfully unaware/ignorant of the importance of the process they are taking part in. In such a way, regardless of how many individuals might participate with any given election, regardless of the stereotype that exists within the United States with regards to the civic duty of voting for the sake of voting, and regardless of the interpretation a definition that voting necessarily equates to democracy in and of itself, the process is merely one component of what defines and helps to establish a democracy. Works Cited BROOKE, JOHN L. "King George Has Issued Too Many Pattents For Us." Journal Of The Early Republic 33.2 (2013): 187-217. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2013. Coley, Richard J., Andrew Sum, and Service Educational Testing. "Fault Lines In Our Democracy: Civic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, And Civic Engagement In The United States." Educational Testing Service (2012): ERIC. Web. 6 May 2013. Czesnik, Mikolaj, Marta Zerkowska-Balas, and Michal Kotnarowski. "Voting As A Habit In New Democracies – Evidence From Poland." Communist & Post-Communist Studies 46.1 (2013): 95-107. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2013. Lever, Annabelle. "Liberalism, Democracy And The Ethics Of Voting." Politics 29.3 (2009): 223-227. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2013. Lieberman, Denise. "Emphasizing Voting Rights In And Out Of The Classroom: A Service Learning Model Toward Achieving A Just Democracy." St. Louis University Law Journal 56.3 (2012): 801-825. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2013. Read More