We’re in an era where people are sharper about discerning the public good and partisan politicians ought to take notice—Suddenly, it’s not the same America. Everyone I talk to here or abroad, young or old, professional or not, feels differently about all matters related to government. People are hopeful that agencies and office holders will be responsive to the needs before them. Even more clearly one of the differences with the past is simply that now the public good seems within reach. In the same way that we believe president Obama himself seeks what is good for all, people who support him similarly support how they see his values. This has implications, many implications, which several Washington politicians seem to not have yet grasped. They are still being partisan at a time where public good is meant to transcend the party line. Their name and title seem to give them an authority, at least for a while, until one really listens to what they have to say about the stimulus package, or other aspects of economic recovery. It is then that one hears that their objections far from being the result of true thought or of commitment to the good of all are rooted in party ideology and probably the ego invested in such rhetoric.
They can continue their poorly thought out objections, they can go on being partisan (sadly it is something that afflicts both parties) but in this renewed atmosphere where people have developed new expectations of their elected officials, they engage in business as usual without realizing that many more have now been empowered to see through them.
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