Reject the Status Quo
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I get it; most people prefer keeping things the way that they are. In the colorful circus of American politics, maintaining the status quo is like keeping a pet rock: it’s low maintenance, requires very little effort, and, most importantly, you can always blame it for your problems. The issue is that most of us are conditioned to prefer what is known and familiar over what is new and untried. This, in turn, implies that unless you have a "Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch" to "blow your enemies to bits," chances are that you're not going to challenge the "Killer Beast of Caer Bannog", i.e., the status quo.
Like knowing exactly what time the pizza guy arrives, the predictability of the status quo can be like the comfort of your favorite sweatpants or, for the ladies, shedding those specific undergarments when they get home. Voters know what to expect, and while it may not be very exciting, it's certainly easier to make plans around. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying "we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them." The world works in a way that requires challenging the status quo. In business, for example, competitors change tactics, strikes stop production or distribution, and natural disasters cause havoc. In politics, new issues arise and old ones fall away. As a result of ever-changing factors, maintenance of the status quo is simply not enough. Entities and institutions must adapt and change or they, too, will fall away. Unfortunately, this need to adapt and change requires a conscious decision to reject staying the same in order to derive any substantive benefit.
For voters who prefer the comfort of the familiar, the status quo acts like a cozy blanket fort. It’s a place where complex issues are reduced to catchy slogans, allowing folks to nod along [like bobble-head dolls] without ever needing to actually understand anything. Why bother with debates when you can simply repeat, “Keep the change!” while strolling out of your local franchise shop clutching your overpriced bean-water? For the Old Parties, keeping the status quo means less heavy lifting and fewer long nights spent drafting ambitious policies. Instead, Old Party politicians can relax in their cushy chairs while confidently quoting the famous line: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
Unfortunately, we all know that the process really IS broken, but efforts to maintain the status quo usually create a fear of change so profound that ANY new idea is met with reflexive skepticism. Like our favorite song protagonist, we may "know that changes aren't permanent, but change is," and introducing a fresh perspective might as well be equivalent to suggesting a three-legged race during a formal dinner. While it could be fun, it’s also a recipe for disaster — and perhaps a few broken legs.
Never having been in the "hallowed halls" of professional politics myself, the only similarity I can envision is that policy meetings in Austin are rather like a never-ending company project meeting where the executives all seem to agree on everything but still refuse to act. The monotony can cause even the most passionate citizens to tune out and start organizing their sock drawers instead. Over time, the status quo breeds complacency, and Old Party politicians start believing that their mediocre policies are sufficient. Meanwhile, voters might think their daily social media rants are an equivalent to real civic engagement. It’s a dangerous game where nobody notices that the world outside is changing while everybody inside is busy arguing about the best pizza toppings.
My point here is that we need to challenge the political status quo. The Old Parties have been playing this game for over century and a half and they have a highly vested interest in keeping things the way that they are, and "We, the People" have been so reflexively conditioned that we barely even stop to think about it. I'll make this simple. To paraphrase a well-known quote: "If you take the red or the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take any other pill - gold, green, purple, whatever – you stay in Wonderland, and we show you how far REAL liberty and freedom can actually take you."
Maintaining the status quo in politics is like walking a tightrope across a minefield while juggling flaming torches. Sure, it’s less risky than leaping into the unknown, but one wrong move could result in an explosion of chaos. The longer the status quo drags on, the higher the chance that it will result in a spontaneous uprising — or at the very least, a well-coordinated social media flame war.
For Old Party politicians, maintaining the status quo is a surefire way to avoid the "hot seat". Change may be inevitable, but it's still a lot like a toddler at a buffet; messy and unpredictable. By keeping things the way that they are now, Old Party politicians can maintain their geriatric grip on power while avoiding any radical shifts that could send their approval ratings plummeting faster than the Stock Market on Black Tuesday.
I encourage you to remember this if you DO decide to challenge the status quo: "Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of thy counting shall be three."