Upon leaving the presidency, George Washington famously warned that political parties would create a class of professional politicians who would lust for power. He said parties would undermine American democracy and distort the values the country was founded upon.
Though historians and political scientists disagree on whether political parties are quite as detrimental as Washington believed, it cannot be debated that they certainly do make it convenient to take a stand on the issues of the day. Reading about more than just the issues that interest us most and learning both the pros and cons of a particular course of action is time consuming and frankly, boring. Political parties are able to provide citizens with positions on a wide variety of policies that are, at least theoretically, adherent to the established principals of the party.
Yet if there is one thing to be learned in the study of history and government, it's that men's actions seldom occur in a vacuum. It's virtually impossible for any political party to encompass so many principals that it could even begin to accurately apply them to the countless numbers of bills that go through Washington every day.
Last time I checked, however, our two political parties were doing well. The political establishment in Washington has created a culture where Americans who choose to embrace various political views rather than the party line are labeled as disloyal and half-hearted. Republicans like Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are repeatedly ridiculed and called RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). Joe Lieberman, a longtime Senate Democrat and one-time vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, lost a Connecticut primary in 2006 because he supported the Iraq war (though he voted the party line on almost every other issue).
Americans are hypocritical to expect their leaders to be rational and logical, when we consistently reward political extremism with victories at the ballot box. How do political parties play into this game? Quite simply, they create it.
Political parties convince Americans, rather effectively, that the best politicians are those who are most loyal to their party's agenda. The reality is that truly great leaders are the ones who set an agenda and define a party, not the other way around. Unfortunately, the situation is usually reversed. The people leading political parties or prestigious congressional committees don't achieve their positions by virtue of being right or working hard; they achieve positions of authority by being good servants to political machines.
The recent economic crisis and ever-growing government that has resulted from it are producing a watershed moment for our nation. To Americans of all political stripes it's becoming increasingly clear that how Washington defines leadership is not how most Americans define it. Nor for that matter are political groups who claim to represent "our values" truly interested in hearing what we have to say. They much prefer telling us what we want. Realizing this does not come quickly or easily. When shifts in political culture do take place, they typically begin because of an awakening of the nation's soul: its youth.
Bowdoin students are at a unique opportunity to reject the failed, one-size-fits-all political labels of the past and embrace values that reflect their personal beliefs, not those of the chattering classes in Washington. We don't need heroes or political leaders with a messiah-like complex, but level-headed, honest American values like those embodied within the Bowdoin community.
The problems facing our generation and our country will not be solved by Sean Hannity or Keith Olbermann. They will not be solved by tea-baggers or quasi-socialists. They will not be solved by the government, even one led by Barack Obama. To be honest, it's precisely the supposed hope Obama is believed to inspire that frustrates me most. When I talk to and learn about the great minds at Bowdoin, I gain hope because I see a willingness to embrace alternative solutions. I gain hope because I see honesty and integrity. Hope, for me, does not stem from one man but from society as a whole.
Surely by this point some may be wondering the point of this whole discussion. I am, after all, a Republican and I'm supposed to use this space to attack the Democrats' never-ending love affair with tax increases and Obama's endless supply of reasons as to why government needs to become monolithic in order to solve national problems.
A guy I greatly admire once made clear the idea that above all else, put country first. If our generation truly wants to amicably resolve political issues like climate change and gay rights, then we must go beyond the so-called solutions put forth by political parties and consider views that are supposedly "Republican" or "Democratic," even if we are tempted to discard them. The challenges in doing this are great and the risks plentiful, but it's certainly worth the old college try.
Jose Cespedes is a member of the Class of 2012.