We all know the old saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Once there is enough will to do something, the way will become apparent. We also know that when there is no will there is no way.
This is especially true in politics. Political will is the game changer. And the political will is controlled by those who control the political process. In our nation right now, the process is controlled by a small and exclusive economic elite. The result is that the problems to solve with that political will are the problems of that elite. Those problems are how to enlarge and consolidate their power, influence, and control; and, how to generate more wealth for themselves.
This process has been used by authoritarian leadership throughout history, whether it was through a monarchy, an aristocracy, an oligarchy, or a strong and domineering leader or dictator. If they can control the political process and make participation exclusive in some way, they can control the narrative and the political will to institutionalize their power.
So to redirect the political will you must first broaden those who participate in the political process. That is precisely what democracy is about, including and valuing the voices of all of the people regardless of wealth or power.
The beauty of democratic elections is that they give us an opportunity to enlarge the political process to include the voices of a larger portion of the citizens. In the process they can, not only change the makeup of the political process and the political will, but also change the direction of the nation. The most important change is in the vision they choose to follow-power in the hands of an economic elite or in the hands of the ordinary citizens, once again.
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Bob Passi
Baxter
