Bloodsport

If only the stakes weren't so high. But they are. Politics isn't for the faint of heart. Perhaps it doesn't involve the actual shedding of blood – though popular literature, films, and television sometimes posit otherwise – but American politics suggests boxing or cock fighting to the observer. There is certainly a battle going on. And no quarter is given, No handicap is awarded, though many handicaps exist. Indulging in some mixed athletic metaphors, there is a toe-to-toe fight between the players who are racing to the finish line. No holds are barred. In addition, unfortunately, all teams are often off-side.

A chess match may be a more fitting analogy, yielding less actual blood, but a battle nonetheless. It surely includes the jockeying for position, and no moves seem to be barred – no matter how unseemly they appear. The rules are sometimes ignored by all participants in the quest to outflank the opposition. Consequently wiliness, response to attacks, and unexpected moves characterize the competition. Winning is the only thing.

Our Constitution is now over two-and-a-quarter centuries old. It originated as a document designed to unify a number of states with conflicting interests, but with a need for common defense. Having separated from the British Empire there was a need to establish a stable government for a new nation, and our founding fathers, under the influence of European political philosophers, and by the hand of James Madison, produced a system of government that, with the approval of the citizens of the new nation, has become a model for many subsequent democracies.

Creating our country required a document that would balance many competing philosophies, wishes, and economic realities, and be acceptable to voters. And it needed to provide a framework for governing long into the future. The debates were illuminating, but they were heated. Ultimately, however, they generated a system acceptable to a majority of delegates and to the voters in the new states.

An important element was a system of checks and balances designed to ensure the control of each of the branches by the others, with none preeminent. And there was a careful delineation of the responsibilities of each, and allowance made for the states to have responsibility for whatever was not covered by the text as written. The document wasn't complete, requiring amendment immediately, but provision for doing so was built into it. The founders realized that change would be necessary, and they provided for that need. They were building “a more perfect Union,” and there had to be a way to correct imperfections when they were discovered.

As opposed to chess, though, American politics scorns the “check” as all of the participants seek the checkmate. And there are frequent instances when our government is out of balance. It's often difficult for the amateur to follow, and participants have staffs and playbooks to guide them – outlines of previous matches, devices that they will either cite or ignore depending on the utility of doing so. They're more knowledgeable and better prepared than we. They're aware of the Constitution and the way to change the rules. But that's too hard, and there's no guaranty that things will go their way. Perhaps, amendment is possible, but change more often happens ad hoc. It's whatever some party can get away with. In the struggle for dominance in the present and future, they pay no mind to the past. And they demand dominance of the Federal government, not the states.

Moves, also, bring chess to mind. The Judiciary, as exemplified by the Supreme Court, seems to favor the approach of bishops, notwithstanding the First Amendment. As the Church may interpret the Bible, the Court “interprets” the Constitution, finding meanings that no one else can see. That means moving obliquely, and, by doing so, overpowering both the Legislative and Executive branches. They have conquered Congress, by deciding what its words mean (and their understanding is final, not Congress's intent) and, the President, by deciding which of his actions (according to their view) falls within the guidelines set by the Constitution.

Not to be outdone, Congress moves more in the manner of rooks – “in a straight line … in a rank [and] file” (I took slight liberties with the definition in The American Heritage Dictionary) and with force based on party loyalty. They march together. Although devotees of the board game usually refer to the pieces as “castles,” the meaning of “rook” as a swindler should not be overlooked, nor should their resemblance to confused birds in a rookery. Their advantage in the infighting is that they may choose not to fund Presidential initiatives, and the Senate may defeat the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice.

The greatest threat to all the other players, however, is the Executive branch, led by the President, who commands all the moves of the queen. He moves in an unpredictable manner in any direction and can go as far as he wants to in order to avoid the domination of the others, or in order to destroy them. The queen wants to be king. (Transgender issues, and the President's sympathy, will be addressed at another time. This is intended as a discussion of power.) The President takes an end-run around the Senate when necessary (as it was when he wanted approval of a treaty – which he decided to call an “agreement – with Iran), pressures Congress in general using his “bully pulpit” (and the control of the media enjoyed by the office) to convince them of our country's needs – as he sees them, and as they and the voters should see them. And he employs “Executive orders” to enact whatever legislation he desires, even though the power to do so is not in the Constitution. Like the Court and Congress, he wants to win. He he wants to be in charge. And he wants to leave office as world champion.

And, of course, there are the pawns. Us. We, the People of the United States. We sponsor the match and pay for the tickets. In theory we control everything through our franchise. But, as in chess, we can be sacrificed. The bishops, rooks, and queen have their way with us. We can be manipulated for their ends. We may have the vote, but the branches of government have control. In theory they are our servants, but in reality we are there to serve them.

Every now and then there arises among us a knight. He is prepared to go over and around the system, but he is too often defeated or directed by the others. That's the way it is with knights. They owe their loyalty, and their future positions, not to the people from whom they arise, but to their superiors. So we are left to do and die as good soldiers. Though we're the majority, we have little power.

In a way, it's all entertainment. It's bread and circus. It's an elaborate bullfight. It keeps us busy as they compete with each other for mastery. Sadly we ignore the warning of the red cape but are fascinated by the battle taking place. We don't recognize that it is our Constitution that is dying before our eyes. All the rest is bull.