Pandering by any other name ...

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It’s perfectly acceptable to have differences of opinion. Having a free and honest discourse on important issues creates a healthy environment for intellectual growth.

Why then do some politicians insist on working to build a hostile political environment by attacking every single item presented by members of the opposing party? They do it to endear themselves to interests with deep pockets and a core constituency that can deliver votes. It’s a matter of staying in office, not necessarily following the path of what is right for America.

The simple term for such behavior is “pandering.” The technical definition for that term is “pimp,” or be more precise, “a person who furnishes clients for a prostitute; procurer.”

A majority of elected public serpents (not misspelled) are pimps for special interests and their rhetoric on vital issues and votes are indicators of that status. If you sell you soul for votes or money, if you deliver a vote simply to ensure your re-election, you are a political panderer.

For example, with more than 85 percent of Americans on record as being in favor of background checks on gun purchases, there is absolutely no excuse for those Republicans and Democrats who voted against that measure. Well, there are excuses for that behavior: They were bought and paid for by the National Rifle Association, desperately wanted Tea Party support or just don’t give a rat’s backside about doing whatever is possible to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or the mentally ill.

I know what you’re thinking: They are just following the wishes of their constituents. Fine. Good argument. But – and this “but” is bigger than the Wyoming sky – it is also the duty of elected federal officials to consider the national implications of proposed laws.

The next big issue on the national political agenda is immigration reform. Some Republican who were against any form of reform prior to last November’s election, have had a change of heart and now support the concept. Why? They want to hold onto power at the congressional level and gain ground on administration front. With a fast-growing Hispanic population, which certainly was a factor in the 2012 presidential election, “pandering” for Hispanic votes is, all of a sudden, good politics.

Nothing is going to change the art of political pandering except, well, you, the voter. First, do whatever is possible to change the political landscape by pushing good, common-sense, logical people to run for federal office. Next, start working on local, district and statewide levels to demand term limits for the Senate and House of Representatives; without term limits, there is no reason for politicians to vote their conscience rather than filling their election bank accounts with special interest money.

We must start holding elected officials accountable for their actions and votes. We are the ones who put them on pontificating pulpits and we are the only ones to hold them accountable.