9/11/01

Nine Eleven. Ten.

Ten years ago terrorists waged war on our country.  Images of planes, fires and collapsing buildings forever burned in our minds.  Now, a decade later, our country mourns and remembers.  Newspapers dedicated weeklong spreads, exclusive interviews with President Bush and Mayor Giuliani and Facebook was filled with people’s feelings and opinions.  Even the hit show Rescue Me, which was in part dedicated to the lives of the 343 firefighters that died, had its series finale. While many felt sadness or anger, one particular emotion ran through me deeper than all others… Disappointment.

After the planes hit the towers, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was an American first.  Race, immigration status, and sexual orientation didn’t matter.  We were all Americans and we were all victims.  Goodwill was pouring in from all over the world – even countries in the Middle East vocalized their support.  In the days following 9/11, President Bush did a solid job bringing us all together under the red, white and blue flag.  In the midst of this terrible tragedy, I truly felt that we as a country would turn the corner and finally become the “United” States that our name suggests.

Sadly, this newfound unity lasted less than two years because in 2003, President Bush, Republicans and Democrats failed us by creating a more toxic environment than what we had on September 10, 2001.  Rather than use this unique opportunity to pass transformative legislation and change the world, our government decided to create a culture of fear, anger and divisive politics.  Instead of clearly distinguishing between the terrorists and the rest of Islam, they chose to drum up anger and resentment to gain support for a misguided war in Iraq that created more enemies.

The 2004 Presidential election could have been about the issues that really affect us as a country and how we can improve diplomacy overseas.  Instead, the victims of 9/11 were used as pawns to help shape a political debate.  With no legs to stand on, the incumbent used the fear (threat levels in the US mysteriously rose and fell at various times during this period) of another attack to gain votes.  And despite the countless missteps of the Bush administration, the Democrats could have put JFK’s name on the ballot and got more support than John Kerry.  As disappointing as this was, this moment was far from the bottom.

At the height of the Iraq war debate in 2006, the Democrats (claiming they would end the war if elected) took control of the Senate.  This ushered in an era of partisan politics that is currently tearing the country in half.  The irony being that Politicians began pandering to their fundamentalist bases to debate an issue (terrorism/war) that fundamentalism created.  By allowing the most extreme points of view to have a national stage and the ear of our top decision makers, all logic and constructive discourse was replaced with disdain and hate speech.  The media no longer reported facts and information but rather played the “Jerry Springer” role and added fuel to the flames for higher ratings.  The Democrats failed to fulfill their promise to end the war and very few if any significant legislation was passed over the final two years of Bush’s term.

Barack Obama ran on the notion of change and hope.  He aspired to change the way Washington handled politics and give the country hope that we can overcome current ills.  While we were infatuated with declaring war on any individual or faction with ties (real or not) to 9/11, we dropped the ball on our domestic policies. Deregulation combined with ill-advised tax cuts and extremely expensive wars sent us spiraling into the worst recession since the great depression.  When Obama became the first black President in 2008, you got the sense that things might change.  Once again I thought that we might be able to unite under our flag.  Unfortunately, it was the same theatrical play, with a different cast.

As soon as it was clear that the new administration couldn’t wave a magic wand and dissolve all of the problems, the gloves came off.  The extremists and fundamentalists that had the stage years ago are louder and more brazen.  Now politicians choose to make short-term policy decisions to get re-elected at the expense of our country’s future.  The issue hit a new low when the republicans refused to sign off on a 9/11 benefits package if President Obama didn’t extend the Bush tax cuts.  Even the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden had a shelf life of a week before the two sides were back to bickering. 

While I place a lot of blame for the current state of our government at the feet of conservatives and the Republican party, the spineless nature in which the Democrats have conducted themselves since kowtowing to Bush in 2006 and abandoning their voters makes them just as culpable.  It serves no purpose to have the right idea if you aren’t prepared to fight for it.  And the news media?  The media is so bad that politics and journalism is now an oxymoron.

Until our elected officials decide to put their constituents above their own careers and the money they can earn from book deals, it’s hard to envision the change that Obama spoke so eloquently about.  So as our politicians reflect, they should be reminded of the democratic principles on which thousands have died for and ensure that those deaths weren’t in vain.  Despite the events that have taken place since that fateful day, I still believe that we will come to a place where we can be the “United” States again.  I just hope is that it won’t take the crumbling of another two skyscrapers for us to get there.