Political Ennui

For any audience member taking in last night's State of the Union Address, it was difficult to miss the overt displays of boredom, smug disagreement and overall lack of interest.  Whether it was Eric Cantor's epic struggle to mute any facial expression or the mechanical and empty applause of others, the clear message was that Washington, DC, and the United States leadership has become so wrought with bipartisan fervor that there's no longer a common theme or purpose to be found anywhere.   

Everything now is a debate, and within the various debates, meaning seems to be lost and individual or partisan vendettas reign.  Even this traditional report, which is meant to inform and rally the members of Congress and present an opportunity for thoughtful consideration or even (scandalous!) unity in purpose, includes the opposing party's response.  The fact that this began happening in the 60s and continues today proves the undoing of our nation's leadership has been incubating for some time.  And why this would ever seem like a good idea, I'm not really sure.  Taking just a minute for consideration, it immediately becomes clear that this "response" is never going to be someone standing to profess their alliance with and belief in the nation's president and his parties legislative goals.  It's simply another medium of disagreement and chaos.  How can anyone keep track of what issues are truly at hand when there's a constant volley that makes the core set of facts a moving target?  It would be like every news report being countered by a "response" or competing news unit's interpretation of the facts.  This happens frequently, too, but just imagine if this lack of grounding was found in every area of life.  Never mind the fact that it seems to have the greatest hold in one of the most important areas--our nation's leadership both on the domestic and international stages.     

When reading articles, watching news reports, listening to radio commentary, the only common theme these days seems to be the disunion in politics and nation-building.  This trend undoubtedly leads to a common disinterest and lack of confidence in the system.  It seems a systemic collapse into political ennui, which has reached record heights and has affected most everyone--both representatives and constituents alike.  Rebuilding a sense of confidence and recovering a state of balance and progress seems just out of reach.  But, for the well being of our nation and world, let's hope that someone steps up and helps end this "waiting for Godot" moment in politics.