Why Are We Here?

Compromise. That’s the idea that started Middle Ground America. At first Congressional gridlock was the only thing that which my counterpart and I could truly agree. Man that pissed us off. In fact, we chatted about the issues we disagreed on fairly frequently and then one day, ‘Boom.’ We were able to come to a compromise about a hotly contested political issue. It was a little give-and-take but ultimately it was a breakthrough for both of us. We had compromised. We had come to a conclusion that would allow us both to sleep soundly that night. However, the next question we asked would stir us in our sleep even more than before…”Why is it Congress can’t do what we just did?” You see, I’m relatively new to following politics. I had been through a couple elections without paying any mind to include the 2004 Presidential election (which I spent in Iraq). I didn’t really start following politics until the 2008 election. It was the first election I voted in after all. I was 24 at the time. Still a puppy in some eyes I’m sure. For me though, 2008 was different. I was finally going to pay attention. I was going to do my civic duty. I was going to watch the debates, hear all of the issues, and finally cast my vote for President of the United States. I’ll tell you too. I was sold. I wanted that “change.” I wanted to “hope” again. I wanted the Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to end. I remember where I stood and what I was eating when Senator McCain gave his concession speech. I remember driving home speeding, admittedly, so I could catch the speech for which I had been waiting. I sat with a smile on my face while (then) President-elect Obama walked up on the stage in Chicago with the thousands cheering. As a WWE fan, I couldn’t help but see the similarities as the new ‘babyface’ took the stage to do their newest promo. I felt like that was something I helped accomplish. I felt like I had finally done something. I helped elect him. I helped move our country forward. What I didn’t know is that my happiness would survive mere months. What I didn’t know is that when you start paying attention, you start to see the flaws. Winning an election is one thing. Getting something accomplished is completely different. Just because your particular party feels a certain way; just because you have a majority in Congress; just because it all seemed to go the way you planned in November doesn’t mean it’s going to come to fruition in January. This drummed up something I had no real intention of drumming up; anger. I started to ask questions that for 24 years I was ignoring. How is it that our elected Congress has become this “do-nothing” entity? Why is it that half the Representatives and Senators refuse to work with the man I voted for? Why is it that the half I voted for doesn’t seem to realize that there are still two sides to every story? You mean to tell me that 100 Senators and 435 Representatives can’t come up with a plan to appease, at the very least, most of the masses? Can no one compromise? Can no one stand up and say, “We have to do something here. Anything is better than the status quo.” The simple answer is ‘No.’ There can’t. That doesn’t win elections. After all, these are politicians. Winning elections is what they do. Compromising makes you appear weak. Heaven forbid you put the 300-million-citizen country before the fate of your next election campaign. Heaven forbid you set your pride down for a minute and explain the reasons why a compromise was needed. Heaven forbid you lead when that’s exactly what you were elected to do. Well, if you won’t lead us. Someone has to. Someone has to take up the mantle that you asked for but forgot to pick up after you were elected. Someone has to show the wings of each party that compromise is what got us this far. We’re all in this together. Every American is in this fight. Left or Right. We have to listen to each other. We have to progress as a country while remaining firm in our roots. We can do both. We can find Middle Ground, America.

#JimmyD