We don’t ask too many overtly political questions, but here is (a non-partisan) one: do you think politics is inherently about steady, incremental progress, or broad, sweeping, transformational change?
Share why if you wish.
Politics: Incremental Or Transformational?
The vast majority of the time, politics is incremental. Minor improvements here and there add up to change over time.
Every once in a while, usually in response to some crisis, politics can be transformational. It can be glorious when it happens.
I wish it were transformational more frequently, but I’ll settle for functional, which seems to be lacking recently.
What is politics about? It’s not inherently about incremental or transformational change. It is about power and political will.
Now, if the question is about what we need, consider this:
According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, “6.8 million more affordable housing units are needed for extremely low-income families.” And “580,000+ people are experiencing homelessness on any given night.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure.” The 2020 Census tells us that over 37 million people live in poverty.
Millions! Millions of Americans are trapped by housing, food, or income insecurity. This is not a new nor irregular phenomenon. That said, all of this requires urgent action.
Do we need incremental or transformational change? While I work on both levels, just guess which approach I think is needed most.