Reliving Groundhog Day
In the classic 1993 movie Groundhog Day, Phil (Bill Murray) discovers he is reliving the same day over and over again. A profoundly self-centered man, Phil goes through the five stages of grief before finally accepting the new circumstances of his life. He spends much of the film trying to use his unique position to enrich himself with worldly pleasures, but eventually discovers that real happiness comes from helping those around him. It is only when Phil stops thinking of himself and dedicates his life to service of others that his curse is lifted and the movie has a happy ending.
America has gone through a similar pattern with its political cycles. In 1993, Democrats took the Oval Office and held both chambers of Congress. 8 years later, Republicans took control, only to see it flip back 8 years later. Eight years after that, Republicans reclaimed them, and now, 4 years later, Democrats again hold the Oval Office and both chambers of Congress. Hey, woodchuck chuckers, it’s Groundhog Day!
As one watches the political pendulum swing back and forth, the thought process of new voters and swing voters seems apparent. The party currently in power is terrible, the thinking goes, so let’s give the other one a shot. After a few years, the electorate realizes the party currently in power is terrible, and decides to give the other one a shot. Hey, woodchuck chuckers, it’s Groundhog Day!
One of the most enduring features of this cycle is the pledges made by candidates for office. The challengers and incumbents both make grand promises to the electorate as part of their attempt to gather votes. After the election, however, these commitments are forgotten, and generally nothing gets done. Hey, woodchuck chuckers, it’s Groundhog Day!
Two weeks into the new Biden administration, many Americans hoping that this time would be different are beginning to get disappointed. Despite making explicit promises for $2000 stimulus checks during the Georgia Senate runoff elections earlier this year, Joe Biden now proposes deducting $600 for the 2020 stimulus checks, for a lower amount of $1400. Hey, woodchuck chuckers, it’s Groundhog Day!
Running gags can be comedy gold — think of all the times Lucy yanked the football away from Charlie Brown — but eventually the humor shifts from “I can’t believe they did that unexpected thing!” to “I can’t believe they fell for the same thing again!” After decades of broken promises from politicians, it’s time to break the cycle with a new model.
The American Union and Phoenix Congress are that different model. The founding fathers gave Americans a list of duties in the Constitution, and we’ve gotten away from them as a nation. We can learn from Phil in Groundhog Day; when we work together to put others first, we can break out of this political cycle.
Rather than trust politicians to follow through with legislation that will address America’s problems, the Phoenix Congress is crowdsourcing our own legislative package, one which will end poverty, end mass incarceration, and end the endless wars. No more credit or promises from politicians — we expect our legislative proposal to be passed before the 2022 election, in exchange for the votes from the American Union of swing voters.
Hey, woodchuck chuckers, it’s Groundhog Day! Tomorrow, though, is up to us; join the American Union and help build a better America.
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