Politics or Just Plain Cheating?

When I was in seminary in one of our classes we did a mock presbytery (representatives of churches of about 1/4^th to 1/5^th of a state; the main government body in the Presbyterian Church; our government is based upon the Presbyterian political system) meeting. We were to debate the giving of funds to the Angela Davis defense (you can dig out the history of that on your own.). We divided the class into small groups to work upon our positions and strategies for the meeting.

I volunteered our group to set up the classroom for the meeting. The classroom had windows on one side, a raised section in front and then three levels of section facing the front. I made sure our group got the group of seats on the second section by the windows. Why? Because if you were in the front of the room that is where you eyes were likely to look first.

The moderator for this meeting was the president of the college. He didn’t know most of the seminarians but he did know me.

Then we began our strategy. We decided we would oppose the funding for the Angela Davis case, not because any of us believed that was the right thing to do, we just wanted to see if we could pull it off.

This was our devious plan. As soon as the meeting started, I would rise to be recognized by the moderator, and since we were the most visible and he knew me, we figured this would likely work. I would then make the motion (or one of our group, I forget) to oppose the funding this setting the negative agenda of the day. And we prepared our arguments carefully so that we would sound very caring and religious, but maintaining our opposition to the funding. In other words we could effectively control the entire debate on our terms.

Well, it worked out exactly as we planned. We took over the meeting and sounding so convincing that some of our own members began to believe our own propaganda. Finally, the instructor of the course called a halt to the event and asked the class if they knew what we had done. Most were clueless.

I was very glad he stopped the procedure and called us on what we were doing because what had happened scared me to death, even though I was the primary author of the process. I saw how easily, a sneaky group as our own could take over a process that worked against open discussion and discernment for truth, and misuse processes, politics, to manipulate a system. It frightened me and still does.

I tell this story because I think this process has become normative in our national government. Small well-funded groups take over processes blocking open and honest debate that works for the common good, the welfare of all our citizens.

The most recent case in point is the movement to defund the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare). In this case it is not only immoral but also illegal, but it could happen. The is an act of congress, voted on by both house and signed into law by the president. It is the law. It was also upheld by the supreme court as a legal act.

The threat of de-funding would also close down the government in the process. Not a good idea. I would also set a terrible precedent. As members and majorities of congress come and go they could just defund whatever was not to the liking at the time and the government would be more chaotic than it is lacking stability and trust by our citizens and other nations.

If they worked the process properly, as has been done in the past (i.e. Glass-Steagal Act; another boondoggle) they process and enact at new bill to repeal the previous bill which then would be signed by the president. That is the process.

What my underhanded group and I did in seminary can be called just using the system, politicking, or just plain cheating. I think it was the later. I think the defunding of the Affordable Health Care Act is also just plain cheating but folk who have the power and money to often get their way. I hope they don’t this time. It would have long lasting evil consequences for the country.

Oh, by the way, I feel the same way about not enforcing the bill the requires vehicles to have back up cameras, and now the administration is just recommending them. It is the law and should be followed.