Numbers

One of the most radical notions of modern history is that citizens have input into the way they are governed.  This countervails thousands of years of rule through conquest and royal or divine decree. 

The fact that we the governed get to have something to say about how decisions get made means that governance relies heavily on a system that reflects our views.  In other words, democracy replaces royal decrees with a political feedback loop.  This feedback loop, typically called dialog and elections, is the heart and soul of our system. 

The political system in which we live relies on numbers.  Votes are numbers.  Polling is numbers.  Party registration is numbers.  Membership to various groups or causes is numbers. 

Many believe that the things that matter are principles and issues.  But they are means to an end - that end being getting more numbers.  If I only had a dollar for every frustrated person who wanted to know why a decision occurred that went against a certain principle or failed to advance a particular issue.  The answer to the question is usually numbers - the people who did not ascribe to your principle or saw the issue another way were greater in number than those like you. 

Numbers, of course, are fluid.   They ebb and flow like the tide due to the pull of opinion, circumstances, and new information.  The fact that a elected official was emailing teenage boys is new information that will affect the number of people who consider that person worthy of holding elected office and representing their views.  The opinions of newspapers, Sunday morning pundits, and "insiders" about who has the best chance for winning an office will affect the numbers of would be supporters.

Many say that because numbers are fluid, it is best to stick to principle - to anchor your political and governing decisions on ideas and philosophies that do not change.  Instead of being swayed by popular opinion or the changing winds of talking heads, principles like lower taxes, individual freedom, justice for the oppressed can help guide our decision making.  One reason we have political parties is that they are supposed to represent certain principles that are relatively consistent.   

While principles are a great to places to start in thinking about self-governance, principles need to be combined with an understanding of numbers.  Otherwise the ideas, alternatives, and actions of certain interests can be unrealistic, unpersuasive, and counter productive.  People need to realize that the numbers are not there to amend the Constitution  with a pro-life amendment, or to remove Social Security from the federal budget, or to drill for oil in ANWR - as much as these things may be the right things to do.  

Those in the church often suggest that God, being God, can overcome numbers and enact His will.  They cry "Lord, though we are small in number, we ask that you give us the political victory."  In my view, these kinds of requests are ignorant of the power that God has allowed us to have in affecting the way we are governed.  Why should God, on whose principles our founders established this democratic republic, consider one area of our political decision making more worthy of his intervention than others when He has equally given us the tools to affect that decision making? 

Since all of us in our country have the tools to affect the numbers, and if we believe that our principles are based on God's teaching and will, let us then work to get more numbers.  Getting more numbers is within our reach.  It is not difficult to do.  But if we believe that our government system works on principle and not numbers, we will be constantly frustrated because the numbers will be working against us.