Your people are my people
Our politics is broken, and many of us agree on the cause. All too often, we’ve put our trust in and given our proxy to the wrong people. For decades, we’ve elected those who see government as a job rather than service — people who think making a difference is secondary to building a career.
Even with that agreement, there’s major division on what to do about it. In the case of Donald Trump, the cure we chose is worse than the disease. A wannabe autocrat can sweep away the power of career politicians, but he does it by making undemocratic moves in the name of the people — whether it’s cutting off rights, taking advantage of conflicts of interest, or threatening citizens and the press. In Illinois, we get to watch Governor Rauner try to undo career politicians, too. He’s not an autocrat, but, man, is he convinced he’s always, absolutely correct.

Regardless of Trump and Rauner’s successes and failures, a rich “outsider” isn’t our only solution. We aren’t required to empower those who are already powerful. And we don’t have to hire out our democracy to people who only see representing us as a paycheck and a chance at the next job on the ladder.
Service doesn’t require a checkbook or a resume, but those are the things we tend to reward with our votes.
At my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding a few years ago, the reading was from the book of Ruth. It said: “Don’t urge me to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people are my people and your God my God.” Pretty good wedding verse, right? They’re in it together — think and thin, sickness and health, richer and poorer, etc. and etc.
But here’s the thing. We’re all in this together. Public service is a commitment, a promise we make that’s got plenty in common with the one we make at a wedding. We don’t have to be elected in order to make that commitment, and we can expect — if necessary, demand — those we do elect to keep that commitment.
Your people are my people.
So take heart in a mixed-up and exhausting world. We are the political system, the parties, the check against things we don’t like and the voice for things we do like. We have much, much more influence than we typically choose to exercise.
We’re only trapped if we fail to fight our way out of these messes together. My generation tried to convince itself that cynicism was a currency and apathy was a creed. That was a lie. Hope and commitment turn the tide.
Make your promise, pick your spot, and contribute. Large or small, loud or soft, left or right. Sincere and in service to our shared life together. The politicians will follow.

