As Americans roll up on election day and contemplate changes in government policy, I want to suggest that not only have Americans become afraid of change, but when we do make change, we fall short of attempting the kind of expansive change necessary to make real impact.
I’ve been provided a contrasting view after almost three years of work in His Majesty’s Government as an employee of the British Foreign Office working on energy and environment policy. During my brief time I’ve watched entire agencies be combined, seen one abolished, witnessed the wholesale creation of municipal governments (most didn’t exist 20 years ago), and observed British government open a debate on whether national voting for Parliament should move to a ranked choice system.
While the British people take these changes seriously (although the Trade office staff, which has been merged and de-merged three times in the last eight years, is weary of changing business cards), the casualness of how they pick up the debate over changes creates a kind of mental whiplash for this American veteran of federal, state, and local governments.
The original “third-rails” of American politics – so electric with voter fury that any fool who proposes changes is sure to be shocked to death – were social security and medicare. When I got to Washington in the mid-90s, practically every politician had seen 1989 video of Rep. Dan Rostenkowski suffering an attack from a gang of angry senior citizens, enraged about proposed cuts to their health benefits. I’m sure many newer Congressmen know of that video, as they’ve allowed medicare spending to zoomed to 14% of federal spending and let social security teeter on collapse. For decades, no leading American politician has been willing to confront these issues in a serious way, despite the fact that every intelligent person knows the system isn’t really working.
We’ve added a few more third rails over the last thirty-five years. Defense spending is not only runaway, we have no clear idea what we’re buying, and we’re often buying systems the military doesn’t actually want. Our immigration system has no workable legal pathway to citizenship. Our federal energy policy has encouraged consolidation, runaway profits for energy producers, and does not encourage the electrification-battery-miniaturization sweeping every other part of the world. Housing policy does not exist, putting homeownership (and stability) out of reach for many middle class families. Transportation policy has been taken over by asphalt companies and big engineering firms, meaning we build expensive, wider highways at the drop of a hat, while the global revolution of inexpensive high speed rail is passing us by. Four companies control over 90% of meat packing, resulting in a slow squeeze on ranchers and a degradation of meat quality (try meat in South America or Europe and let me know what you think).
There’s even more political third rails in America, but the list isn’t the point: It’s our unwillingness to try things and our unwillingness to fail. While Congress’ rigidity to change is certainly to blame, our representation is just that: a representation of us. We as a nation have become a bike rider, furiously gripping handlebars with white knuckles, afraid to turn the slightest in fear of what’s to come. We need to ease our grip, relax our arms, and sway side to side, rolling over the bumps as they come.
Of course, it’s hard to make significant policy change when Americans are highly polarized on issues and their attitudes towards government are polarized as well. But Americans also want these third rail issues to be addressed. For instance, as of 2024 65% of all Americans (including 56% of lower-income Republicans) say the government has a responsibility to ensure all Americans have health care coverage, which seems like pretty good cover for just about any office holder willing to take on the issue.
Yet, it’s almost impossible to measure potential voter gratitude for resolving these intractable issues. I like to imagine that political leaders who advertise themselves as willing to attack issues, and willing to host meaningful dialogue on potential outcomes, could possibly win points in this era of polarization. Maybe it’s naive, but I’m hoping voters would be glad to support politicians that address their pain points.
We should be clear though, that simply vacillating from one side to another without taking a real position, like Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, or Maine Senator Susan Collins, is not fixing anything. Perhaps one of the most important elements of political success is communicating authenticity, that the official actually believes what they say and has a clear understanding of how their beliefs directly impact the people they represent. It was part of the magic of Ronald Reagan’s presidency and an element of what makes New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani so effective.
I’m hoping that in the coming years, we’ll see a Congress and president that demonstrates they know what’s at stake, and how their potential actions could directly impact voters. Then, maybe they’ll start making some changes and make course corrections when their choices are proven ineffective.
Maybe, hopefully, Americans will welcome someone doing something, even if it doesn’t work right away.
What Else I’ve Been Thinking About
The Newsletter Zeitgeist – Close readers of this newsletter will remember that last spring I launched a site that everyday scrapes and transcribes dozens of political newsletters and podcasts, then boils down their work into a report. I’m still running it, but as just a website, not an email. Especially right now, the daily reports from far left- and right-wing commentators are simultaneously surprising and not.
The State Energy Policy Index – For my other side project, EnergyThink.ing, I boiled down the last month of news reports and state policy actions I’ve been gathering from hundreds of news sites and state websites, then created the first of a series of monthly reports. One interesting finding? Data centers were not the most common energy topic reported on this October.
It could have been “Ghostblasters” – Dan Ackroyd posted these amazing outtakes from shooting the original Ghostbusters movie. They didn’t own the name, and actually had to shoot alternate names for the foursome ghost eliminators.
October 19 Is A State of Mind – A great clip from Community, one of the sharpest written shows ever.
Astronomers found a new dwarf planet in the solar system with the new Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.
Does Country Music Have A Problem? – Yes.
Let’s all go to Mogadishu! – Seriously.