I’ve been thinking about starting a political party. I’d call it the Pragmatic Party. I know it sounds like a rock band, but it really harkens back to the idea of pragmatism articulated by that quintessential American philosopher, William James.  Put bluntly, pragmatism says that the test of an idea is in how it works. Ideas that work are true; those that don’t are false. Applied to politics, pragmatism would imply that the job of elected officials is to identify problems that affect our nation and solve them. This belief would stand in sharp contrast to the current state of political affairs that is dominated by gridlock, in which elected leaders think that it is politically smarter not to address our problems, than it is to fix them—in which, bad government is seen as a good thing.

Pragmatics, on the other hand, would hold the belief that in a democratic society, each generation has the responsibility to be good stewards of our nation. As Thomas Payne put it, “if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace.” Thus, Pragmatics would not shirk their responsibility by kicking the can down the road for our children to solve, but would instead embrace our problems as opportunities to do the right thing. Pragmatic’s motto: Get the job done!

Pragmatics would—as George Washington and John Adams advised—repudiate ideologies, and would instead focus on what is necessary and realistic in a free and modern society. Thus, Pragmatics stand firm in the opposition to the now common opinion that “government is inherently bad” and instead recognize that in a democratic society, government is a reflection of its citizens. If ideology and distrust divides our citizens, it will divide our leaders as well. 

Pragmatics are realists. They would take a cold hard look at the problems we face as a nation and try to solve them within the bounds of what government can do. They would recognize that government cannot solve all of the problems that citizens face, but that where it can ensure justice, create transparency and fairness in the market, ensure equality of opportunity, and coordinate public action to address problems that cannot be solved by individuals acting alone, a democratic government has a duty to act.

Pragmatics would take pains to stand apart from the political spectrum that seeks to define groups against one another, and so cast laws and policies as a turf war or a power struggle. There wouldn’t be any nonsense about “taking the nation back” like it was a political football to be fought over. Pragmatics would seek to represent all citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, education level or wealth. If all are created equal, then a democracy cannot value some less than others. A true democracy represents all its citizens.

Finally, Pragmatics would not be the enemy of the status quo, but would realize that the status quo is not an adequate justification for its own existence. Pragmatics would thus honor the traditions of its society, so long as those traditions guarded the basic needs of humanity and a free society.

But the status quo for its own sake should not be allowed to stand in the way of justice, equality, or simply dealing with the problems at hand.

As our founders realized, each generation must deal with the problems that affect them. Our constitution lays out the mechanism for passing laws and carrying out that legislation to do just that. The constitution does not dictate a nation frozen in time.

Thus, we cannot expect that some past state of our nation represents a golden age that we should not change from. As a free and democratic society, we must always move forward by addressing our problems in the good faith that we can affect our own destiny. To believe otherwise, is to deny that we can play any role in making circumstances better, not only for ourselves, but for our children and their children.

What do you think? Does a political party build on effectiveness, responsibility, realism, that wasn’t driven by warring factions, and was free of political ideologies, stand a chance in the current political climate?

Readers can e-mail the author at: jm.horner@yahoo.com

Veterans to Farmers trainee Adam Cutlip carries a row of lettuce at a Circle Fresh Farms network greenhouse in Pueblo. Prior to joining the program, Cutlip served as an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force. Photo by ERIN PRATER/Special to The Gazette