On occasion, I’m asked, “To which party do you belong?” Well, American politics is a bit of a conundrum and makes the answer to this question complex, but it keeps our lives interesting. It represents disparate interests and beliefs, as varied as the origins of our ancestors. We find ourselves in a political tug-o-war in the two-party system, however, with the Democrats and Republicans fighting for control. Of course we have the occasional fringes that make noise, but succumb to the privileged and precocious, overweight kid that looks too old for the fifth grade on the end of the right and the biracial son of the Massachusetts lawyer who thinks he’s better than everyone on the left. However, in the middle of such extremes are the middle kids that are looking to be inspired and want to fight for a team, but are often left out to dry in the very game in which they have tried to participate.

It is my contention that the Democrats have often promised hope and desire change while falling short; but that Republicans desire hope without promising change shortly falling — out of touch with the kids of the middle of the “war” desiring inspiration. A missed opportunity, indeed, by a party that so proudly claims Lincoln and co-opts Martin Luther King’s message as if it were a speech he’d plan to give in Minneapolis this fall. And this is where they miss the mark, cutting corners with history super-gluing them to a false present without context. Were they paying attention they’d have a chance to fit in new pieces to the puzzle rather than continuing to help take it apart.

(Arthur’s Note: With that caveat that I’m largely working off stereotypes to follow, it is important to note that with every stereotype there is a bit of truth and I maintain that these claims are made to bring some closer rather than further apart. Secondly, I choose to focus on the African American community for conciseness, but similar arguments can be made for homosexuals, Jews, urban poor, etc.).

For instance, a lot of African Americans are socially conservative, promulgate large faith-based communities, promote family values, favor school choice, support stronger immigration policies, and distrust government. This is not to pass judgment on anyone holding those beliefs and, as an African-American, I realize African Americans are as diverse in their values and beliefs as any other group in this country. But the point still stands that a significant portion of the community believes very strongly in the litany of ideals above, yet have been ignored by Republicans, which, if I’m not mistaken, often adopt a platform similar to values mentioned. They believe that we can’t temper race while continuing to focus on race. While a lofty ideal for which we should strive, the fact is, that America was built on race, literally and figuratively; to ignore it now is to ignore America’s history itself. History is something from which we should learn not something that we should forget. You can’t tell one to pull themselves up but then not give them a piece of the rope, especially when your fat son is the one controlling its strings. Equality is something for which we’ve gotten closer and there’s value in how far we’ve come, largely through the initiatives of one’s own community, as a Republican would value. But to tell someone to work and support a family without a living wage, to tell her kids to go to schools with outdated books and to go home to study in crime-ridden neighborhoods, to cut civil rights initiatives that seek to remedy these situations, does not inspire dreams, but delivers nightmares.

Republicans like individual choice and competition; well give people a better choice! Democrats “win” by default, by speaking to and sometimes inspiring despondent communities; give that same community an alternative if you truly believe in American values; if you truly believe in change and equality and second chances. Republicans have been given second and third and four thousand chances, but have yet to respond and both parties miss the opportunity to succeed to America’s debt. As the maxim states, the first casualty of [tug-o-] war is truth. And if the truth sets you free, then is the political choice I’m given to decide to which party I belong, that between a life sentence and death row?