Working the System
Full participation in government and society has been a basic right of the country symbolizing the full citizenship and equal protection of all. - Charles Rangel
Last month, I created a post that featured the petition process that was sponsored by the White House. Since then, the appropriate policy agencies have responded to some of them.
As was expected, even by me, the responses were in line with the President’s agenda. Some believed it was nothing more than a political stunt to feign interest in the will of the people. I saw it as a convenient and proactive initial engagement activity that can be done by anybody and I still believe this to be true . I hope this process continues into future administrations regardless of political party. These petitions, as with any petitions, are not a panacea that is going to force the personally desired results or those of a group. Anybody that believes that it will has an extremely naïve concept of the American political process.
One prominent example was the call to legalize marijuana. Since I am not a user of mind altering or mood altering drugs or prescriptions, I am pretty opinion neutral on this issue, though I understand that there are some that are somewhat passionate about it. Although the response may not have been what some would have liked, at least an official position from the administration was forced, in writing, by these petitions on the issue.
NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) has been advocating marijuana legalization since 1970. To date it hasn’t gotten anywhere with the federal government. With a documented current and official statement of position from the administration, proponents now have a starting point. It is up to them to carry this forward, much like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) did to highlight and enhance their cause.
There is no one stop shopping solitary act to attain political goals. Most Americans believe achieving their political goals entails throwing some bums out and bringing in new bums or the bum of their choice. No one candidate at any level can bring about the political focus that is needed to bring forth each person’s agenda. Our political process was designed this way to serve a populace and not an individual.
To bring a personal agenda point to bear, it must become a personal priority. In order to work within the process, a laser sharp focus has to be achieved. It is then the task of like minded individuals to promote their cause by making it a general priority to the nation within the system. Advocacy groups and well focused PACs (Political Action Committees) understand and implement this. These groups and business use lobbying to do so.
But in order to do this, the process has to be started somewhere. Once an official administration position is documented, there is a stationary target from which to proceed. That is where this petition process becomes significantly valuable.