We all like to believe that our voice can make a difference and that our government is just that ours. At the same time, we recognize that the collective voice of many individuals working together is louder than that of any individual it is this very notion that allowed special interest groups to gain prominence in our political system. Historically, these groups have provided underrepresented portions of our population with a more influential voice, but today they have become too powerful. Their original purpose has been warped. The effectiveness of our democracy is based on our legislators' ability to compromise and work towards what's best for the country as a whole. However, when powerful and wealthy special interest groups are able to take hostage large portions of our Congress, the result is stalemate and the elimination of any governing by our government, hurting the people that these institutions are supposed to serve and represent.
Special interest groups have always held immense influence over our politicians. They have also promoted important legislation that would never have received the attention that it deserved, from the public and in Washington, because of the marginalization of the citizens that it affected. Just like labor unions give workers more power by allowing them to collectively bargain, special interest groups on both sides of the aisle provide the same benefit to people across the country. However, these special interest groups have started causing more harm than good and have begun pursuing their own agendas that run counter to the common good.
Two of the most publicized such groups are the Americans for Tax Reform on the right and labor unions on the left. Led by Grover Norquist, ATR is famous for its introduction of the "No New Taxes Pledge," which binds signatories to never raising taxes. ATR currently claims a large portion of Congress among its members, as well as state and local Republican employees. With the immense reach and power that this group holds, Norquist has effectively eliminated the ability for Republican legislators to reach across the aisle and make a bipartisan agreement for fear of losing their seat. Accountability is good, as it keeps legislators and leaders connected to those they serve, but when accountability evolves into hostage taking, and one person or group controls the actions of various leaders, the government loses its ability to effect progress on any issue. Similarly, on the other side of the aisle, unions bind Democrats to strictly opposing any increase in the retirement age, thus effectively limiting their ability to join with Republicans and reach an agreement on Social Security and Medicare reform.
One could argue that these groups could not hold the power they do if they did not reflect the desires of the public, and that by binding legislators to a specific position on an issue, they are bound directly to what the people want. However, our founding fathers believed that the key to a successful government was not direct democracy but a representative one. In this system, leaders are chosen based on their ideals and qualifications, and are bestowed with the responsibility of making their own judgments as to what policies are best for the country. Our government functions not because our leaders do exactly what we want on every issue, but because we trust that their decisions will benefit not only our city or our state, but the entire country.
However, the mutilation of this representative democracy means that legislators can no longer work with each other. The result is something more like trench warfare, with two sides fervently battling it out and refusing to find a middle-ground for fear of committing political suicide by reaching out from behind their entrenchment. This middle ground is what gives democracies the ability to succeed, benefitting the greatest number of their citizens that they can. But when leaders become hostage to the monetary and media power of specific groups, and when the only way for them to get elected and stay in office is for them to move towards the gravitational juggernauts that are the extremes, the potential for compromise and progress is lost. When a small number of groups holds immense influence over the majority of the political system, what's left is very little space to maneuver, and the inability to find common ground and a common purpose.
