Be a Citizen, not a Partisan | Jennifer Mercieca | TEDxBlinnCollege
Thinking of public office as a right to spoils, rather than an obligation to the common good, degrades citizenship into mere partisanship. The speaker argues this mindset, exemplified by William L. Marcy's 1832 quote, leads to a loss of watchdog function, advocating instead for citizens to prioritize mutual civic relationships over partisan allegiances. Concrete steps include actively fact-checking news, engaging with people outside one's social bubble, and voting for individuals, not just parties. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker is an expert in American political history and civic theory. - The speaker uses personal anecdotes, such as a conversation with his three-year-old daughter, to illustrate the difference between "friends" (universal bond) and "partisans" (in-group bias). - The context for the discussion of William L. Marcy stems from his 1832 statement concerning a political appointment during a Senate debate. ## Theses & Positions - The aphorism, *"to the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy,"* fundamentally misrepresents the nature of politics, treating it like a sporting event rather than a civic duty. - Political life should foster a sense of *citizenship*—seeing oneself as an officer of the government—rather than *partisanship*, which treats opponents as "enemies." - The goal is to shift the focus from what one can *gain* (spoils) to what one must *contribute* (obligation to the common good). - The modern media landscape, especially social media algorithms, exacerbates this partisan problem by promoting polarizing content. - Solving political problems requires moving beyond the binary thinking of "us vs. them" by treating all individuals as "always already citizens." ## Concepts & Definitions - **Always already subjects:** Positioning by ideology and the state to make Americans obedient and divided against their own best interests (concept cited from critical theorists like Lou alus). - **Citizen (Aristotle definition):** An officer of the government, not just a member of a political community. - **Watchdog function:** The role the founding fathers thought the citizenry should uphold—to investigate facts and judge government actions based on liberty and happiness. - **Quono:** A Latin legal term meaning "who profits." - **Bridging Social Capital:** Social capital connecting one to people outside one's immediate social circle (e.g., through a book club or block party). - **Bonding Social Capital:** Social capital between people who are already within one's social circle (e.g., people on a Facebook feed). ## Mechanisms & Processes - **The Spoils Mechanism:** The process by which political office is viewed as ill-gotten gains (plunder), corrupting governance. - **The Enemy Mechanism:** Treating political opponents as "enemies," which makes them viewed as inherently irrational and untrustworthy, thereby eliminating the possibility of negotiation. - **The Algorithm Mechanism:** Social media platforms skew news feeds to maximize time on site, inherently favoring polarizing and highly emotional content. - **The Citizen Function:** Actively performing civic duties like investigating facts and judging governmental actions based on constitutional standards. ## Timeline & Sequence - **1832:** William L. Marcy stated, *"to the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy,"* during a Senate debate regarding Andrew Jackson's appointment of Martin Van Buren. - **1824–1828:** Period when Marcy's partisans took over American politics, allegedly inventing the party system. - **20th Century:** The speaker notes that more of the "Watchdog power" was ceded to the mass media. - **Today (Current era):** Demonstrated by the 66% statistic regarding Facebook newsfeed consumption. - **1907:** Year William L. Marcy was replaced on the $1,000 bill by Alexander Hamilton. ## Named Entities - **William L. Marcy:** 19th-century politician, lawyer, Governor of New York, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State; on the $1,000 bill. - **Andrew Jackson:** US President involved in the 1832 controversy. - **Martin Van Buren:** Minister to Great Britain; known as "the little magician"; credited with starting America's party system. - **Henry Clay:** Senator and former Secretary of State involved in the 1832 event. - **Lou alus:** Critical theorist quoted regarding how Americans are positioned as subjects. - **Aristotle:** Philosopher who defined a citizen. - **Robert Putnam:** Author who wrote about social capital in his book *Bowling Alone*. - **The Wall Street Journal:** Example of a media outlet used to demonstrate algorithmic skewing. - **CIA director:** Mentioned in an example of partisan news coverage. ## Numbers & Data - **1832:** Year of the debate where Marcy uttered the key aphorism. - **$1,000 bill:** The denomination on which Marcy's face appeared (until 1907). - **66%:** Percentage of Facebook users getting news primarily from the Facebook Newsfeed. - **50 minutes:** Average time spent on Facebook daily. - **93%:** Percentage of Democrats who are more liberal than the average Republican. - **94%:** Percentage of Republicans who are more conservative than the average Democrat. - **45%:** Percentage of Republicans who think Democratic policies are a threat. - **1%:** Percentage of Democrats who think Republican policies are a threat. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Facebook Newsfeed:** The mechanism described as skewing news content to maintain user engagement. - **Factcheck.org, PolitiFact, Snopes:** Recommended, objective, reliable fact-checking news sources. - **The $1,000 bill:** Tangible artifact linking Marcy to a political moment. ## References Cited - **Lou alus:** Critical theorist discussing subjects and ideology. - **Aristotle:** Philosopher regarding the definition of citizenship. - **Robert Putnam:** Author of *Bowling Alone*, detailing social capital types. - **Bowling Alone:** Book title by Robert Putnam concerning social capital. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Citizenship vs. Partisanship:** The core trade-off; citizenship implies objective duty, while partisanship implies tribal loyalty. - **Voting for a Party vs. Voting for a Person:** The proposed alternative; supporting an individual who best exemplifies civic virtues over partisan platforms. - **Bonding vs. Bridging Capital:** The ideal trade-off, favoring the acquisition of bridging capital through diverse community interaction. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker notes that the founding fathers' ideal of the watchdog function has been weakened by the mass media. - The speaker acknowledges that proposing the ideal of "always already friends" is aspirational, noting that it is difficult to achieve in modern politics. - The speaker notes that the aphorism *"to the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy"* did not convince Henry Clay or the Senate regarding Van Buren's appointment. ## Methodology - **Critical analysis:** Deconstructing the aphorism to reveal its implications for political behavior. - **Anecdotal evidence:** Using personal stories (daughter at the park) to demonstrate abstract concepts (friend vs. citizen). - **Media auditing:** Analyzing real-world examples (WSJ articles) of partisan news presentation. - **Academic theory:** Applying frameworks from Aristotle and Putnam to critique contemporary civic life. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - View oneself and politics through the lens of *citizenship* first, not *partisanship*. - To improve civic life: 1) Fact-check; 2) Read multiple sources; 3) Talk to people unlike oneself; 4) Attend community meetings. - Vote for a person who will best uphold liberty and happiness, not just a party. - Reframe the political maxim from "spoils of the enemy" to "obligation to work for the common good." ## Implications & Consequences - Partisan thinking leads to treating opponents as enemies, preventing negotiation and thus preventing the solving of national problems. - A low level of bridging social capital contributes to high polarization. - The historical memory of Marcy's phrase has the potential to shape modern, transactional views of public service. ## Verbatim Moments - *"to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy"* (Marcy's aphorism). - *"Friends don't push, friends share, friends don't poke, friends play together."* (Daughter's daycare mantra). - *"What does it do to us in our politics to think of those who are entrusted with great political power as Victors as if they have won a football game or a war"* (Central question posed). - *"Are they just naive or are they totally brilliant?"* (Question used to illustrate the depth of questioning beyond the superficial). - *"Who stands to gain the most?"* (The core question of *quono*). - *"I'm asking for us to treat each other as always already citizens instead of always already partisans"* (The central call to action). - *"It's the bridging Social Capital that's most important"* (Highlighting the most valuable social resource). - *"to those entrusted with great responsibility belongs the obligation to work for the common good."* (The proposed replacement for the original slogan).