The Lessons of History

Every four years Americans wrap themselves into a frenzy regarding the presidential election. In the last eight years, the presidential election has centered around a candidate disliked by at least half his own country and majority of the world, and a candidate liked by a little more than half his home country and majority of the world. In both the 2004 and 2008 elections, money was spent and attention was paid to each of the two political parties and their tickets. The candidates were intensely scrutinized and their backgrounds were poured through immensely. Yet, despite all this attention the nation seems to give presidential elections, the lower ballot elections go largely unmentioned about if not unnoticed altogether.

These lower ballot elections are sometimes just as important-if not more- than the presidential elections. As we see today with the House and Senate trying to reach a conclusion on whether or not to fund the Automotive Industry. In the wake of home foreclosures and financial institutions failing at every turn, citizens truly get a chance to see just how it is the Congressional body that does most of the legislative heavy lifting. Now more than ever, should citizens be paying attention to newly elected Congressmen and women. Candidates such as Steve Driehaus won Ohio's 1st District seat on the back of President-elect Obama.

Congressmen-elect Driehaus ousted an incumbent who had won re-election in six straight elections. He did so on the back of about a 27% African-American voter turnout in his district. Many of those who turned out and voted Driehaus in were undoubtedly looking for change. It must be noted though, that Driehaus is a self professing fiscal conservative who is anti-abortion. With these principles (particularly fiscal conservatism) it is less than likely that Congressman-elect Driehaus will be supportive of any of President-elect Obama's ambitious and expansive spending packages. Without the support of his own party's Congressmen, President-elect Obama will have a hard time getting anything accomplished.

Unfortunately Obama supporters will have no one to blame but themselves. The reason being is that Driehaus never lied about who he was and how he approached politics. His campaign website and literature was very clear about his position. He also played up his party affiliation with Barack Obama as well. And why wouldn't he, there is no logical reason why he shouldn't. But for voters old enough to remember the 1964 election, this has to feel familiar. A great deal of Congressional seats were filled with candidates running on the coattails of Lyndon B. Johnson. These same Democrats fought tooth and nail against many of Johnson's "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" legislative agenda items. Voters voted these people in not because they were the candidate that best spoke to their needs, but because there was a "D" after their name.

Malcolm X was quoted as saying "of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research." This statement is as true now as it was he parted his lips to utter it. Students, citizens, and scholars alike need to pay keen attention to coattail politics. This type of politics that all candidates of a given party are greeted as having the same principles, values and ideas. History has shown us that this is not true. One would like to think that voters have come a long way since Johnson's election in 1964. That voters are politically astute enough to not make the same mistake twice. But the ability of voters to learn their lesson from history is probably best summed up by the current commander-in-chief "fool me once,shame on you; fool me... you can't get fooled again".