Democracy is Messy

On the one-year anniversary of the passage of the health-care reform act, many things may have changed but the rhetoric certain hasn't. As often happens when they accomplish something, the Democrats aren't doing quite enough to highlight the benefits that have already taken effect. For their part, the Republicans continue to insist that the majority of Americans have an unfavorable view of the law, despite polls showing that said "majority" includes many people who think the law doesn't do enough.

All this is a reminder that this law, like the democratic process of governing itself, is a messy business. Rather than lament that fact, though, I think we should embrace it, because it shows that our democratic process is alive and well. The GOP really has no business complaining about the law passing without their input. The Democrats tried numerous approaches to get Republican support, before finally deciding that their responsibility to govern was more important than holding out for a token showing of bipartisan support to give themselves political cover for the tough re-election fights many of them knew were coming. Those congressional Democrats are true patriotic heroes for doing the right thing, even knowing they would pay a political price.

In the movie Touch of Evil, when responding to another character's complaint that a policeman's job is hard, Charlton Heston's character points out that a policeman's job is supposed to be hard and is only easy in a police state. The same is true of governing. Dictating laws without public accountability is simple, but working in a system where you have to explain your actions to constituents is a much trickier proposition.

The essence of a democracy isn't that elected officials should only do things the majority likes. That approach may be less messy and more beneficial for individual politicians but not so much for the whole country. Democracy demands breaking the mold for the common good. It isn't always pretty, but that's how we know it's working.