Opinion columnists, specifically those that cover politics, are largely cowards.
There. I said it.
We constantly critique what politicians do and say, call for specific policy changes and complain when those policy changes aren’t made, but we aren’t willing to be any more than just keyboard warriors in the fights we comment on.
If there are issues that someone thinks are important, it isn’t enough to just talk about it. To pester politicians to act on those issues isn’t enough. Someone who truly cares about the game that is politics shouldn’t just shout from the sidelines, they should put on a uniform and get in the game himself.
They can’t understand the true nature of the battlefield until they enter into it directly.
Politicians face huge obstacles. They have opposition to negotiate with, they have disparate constituencies to balance, they have first hand knowledge of the complexities of the law.
These obstacles don’t lend themselves to the simple solutions so often called for in opinion columns.
Most columnists know this, but enjoy ignoring all that and standing on the soapbox so they can spout off about their favorite issue.
But this isn’t courageous.
Columnists who gain a particularly large following are often mentioned as potential candidates for political office. Ann Coulter’s name has come up several times in lists of potential senate candidates in Connecticut. Rush Limbaugh’s name has come up as well.
Thomas Friedman routinely calls for a “Radical Center” to take over the political scene, but refuses to do anything more than talk about it despite plenty of “Draft Friedman” Facebook movements.
If they think they wouldn’t be able to contribute to political discourse that’s one thing. But that isn’t the case.
No one has ever accused Friedman’s ego of being anything other than massive. They think their words alone would be enough to change the world. And yet they use excuses like “I couldn’t take the pay cut” as reasons why they wouldn’t consider a life in politics.
There is no greater symbol of their cowardice, of their disinterest in actually advancing the policy goals they advocate than their refusal to sacrifice something in support of that goal. That they care more about their paychecks than they do their pet issues should show their devotees their true motives. That they aren’t willing to hunker down and compromise to get a policy they support passed. They’re content to bite at the heels of those in power.
The world of politics is vast, and there is room for many different people to get involved in many different ways.
But so many columnists, who operate purely on the periphery of this world, seem to think they’re already involved in a much more direct way, myself included.
We’re not. So long as we remain writing and nothing else, we won’t be able to influence the world we’d like to. The soccer mom screaming from the sidelines will never score the winning goal.
We can’t affect the change we think we can through words alone. It is cowardly for us to lie to ourselves and say we can as an excuse to not play the game.
If you are interested in politics, if you want to get something done, don’t confine yourself to the opinion page of the local paper. Pursue a career in politics. Run for office. But don’t pretend that punditry will ever be a satisfying alternative.
Keene is a senior majoring in political science, economics and public policy.
