How elected leaders lose power is a question that has always intrigued me in my field of study, Sociology. Having spent over two decades in the realm of politics, which, though not an extended period, has afforded me the opportunity to witness numerous instances of Black elected officials gaining and subsequently losing their influence within the community. This phenomenon has often left me pondering what went wrong and where the missteps occurred.
We must delve into the realm of power dynamics and the potential for corruption when an individual attains a position of authority, whether through their own willpower or with the collective empowerment of our community. Power has a tendency to corrupt in myriad ways, and this analogy can readily be applied to politicians seeking office. Observe how they immerse themselves in the community during election campaigns, displaying an abundance of empathy and compassion for our causes and needs. Think about the countless instances where a politician has stood at a community event, nodding in apparent understanding of our concerns, only to subsequently neglect or lack a system for maintaining close and timely communication with the constituents who elected them.
We, as a community, empower and elevate these individuals into positions of authority through our voting power because they convince us to place our trust in them. However, what transpires when this power corrupts? It leads them down a path of empathy deficits and a decline in moral sentiments toward the very people who facilitated their ascent to power. They begin to perceive themselves not as servants but as rulers in the political sense. Many politicians lose their power because they lose sight of their community’s needs, resulting in a situation where they are elected but not respected.
For a politician to wield enduring power, and when I speak of power, I refer to their connection with the community they represent, empathy must be a constant presence. It cannot be confined solely to the times of elections and photo opportunities during moments of tragedy. Regrettably, our elected officials often fail to recognize that once they shed their empathy, their power in the community will continue to dwindle, regardless of how many times they are reelected. Politicians may embellish themselves with titles, but within the community, they may not be regarded as individuals of their word or empathy.
We must continually remind and caution our Alabama elected officials that power is contingent upon the human capacity to act collectively, not just individually. The last thing our community requires is for elected officials to act as though power is their personal possession; it belongs to the group that elected them. If it ceases to belong to the group, then the community is effectively being led astray by a political pied piper of sorts. It’s imperative for our elected officials, some of whom may possess inflated egos, to recognize that their power positions are not indicative of their personal power but rather a manifestation of the voters’ empowerment to act on their behalf, not to further self-serving agendas. You may have the position but you have no community respect and that’s a problem.