Politics is a game.It’s an old and clichéd sentiment, but it’s true.This view is generally considered a negative, cynical result of a broken democratic process, but it’s important to realize political maneuvering is a necessary evil. In a perfect world, representatives would openly debate the practical implications of potential policy decisions, and whoever made the best argument would win.There’s unfortunately no concrete way to declare a winner in a debate, so the political process is set up as a way to actively decide which policies are enacted. And our system is set up to heavily favor the side the public supports — at least in theory.That said, there comes a point when political swordplay becomes too central to the process. We’ve officially crossed the point when legislation and policy are framed almost entirely in terms of who stands to win instead of who has the best ideas. And our process is left standing on a dangerous cliff when legislators are more concerned with legislative acrobatics than the real ramifications of their decisions.If we aren’t there already, we’re certainly teetering on the edge.The health care debate is a perfect example. Yesterday’s headlines hinted House Democrats were going to attempt an unorthodox procedural coup and pass health care without even an up-or-down vote. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi claims “the rules” allow for a vote on a measure declaring the bill has been “deemed past,” then voting only on the less-controversial parts of the bill.Confused? So are pundits, analysts and activists across the country.This controversial tactic is just the latest in a long line of arcane parlimentary procedure battles compounding the already-heavy fog of war surrounding the health care reform issue. For example, Democrats have flirted with using reconciliation — a practice that allows them to force a vote on the bill without risking a filibuster.The filibuster by itself is perfectly representative of abuses in the political system. The basic intent of the filibuster is sound — by forcibly slowing down debate, the Senate minority is allowed some power to stop hasty legislation by the majority.But the filibuster has become common practice, requiring 60 votes to get any major legislation passed.Who’s to blame for all this?A large part of the problem obviously lies with legislators. But too often we forget the people in office are there because of larger public support, so the problems loom more sinisterly than the representatives themselves.It’s partially the media’s fault. Anyone who’s taken a mass communication class knows political news gets covered in terms of maximum drama, resulting in “horse-race” coverage. Winners and losers are emphasized instead of numbers and arguments. Political parties are measured by public opinion polls and protests rather than ideas. The competitive framing of politics is well-documented by social scientists, and it is undoubtedly a large contributing factor in our political paralyzation.But the most culpable people in the poisoning of democracy are the citizens.Our representatives abuse power because we let them. They get away with tired arguments and childish debates while accomplishing little or nothing because they sit in their seats virtually unchallenged.Congress routinely has an incumbency rate in the 90 percent range despite a job approval rating in the 20 percent range. If you’re disgusted by how Congress is working — and chances are good that you are, unless every public opinion poll is wrong — don’t just stew about it. Vote it.Politicians are never going to change if we don’t start throwing them out of office for their abuse of the democratic process. They’re going to keep dancing their intricate, obstructionist dances and playing their arcane procedural games.Meanwhile, those of us trying to do our jobs the old-fashioned way will be suffering as a result.Matthew Albright is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_malbright.– – – -Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]