Prospects for a Less-Polarized Nation
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-12-16/prospects-less-polarized-nation
President Barack Obama greets a woman in the audience after speaking at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2010
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza via The White House on Flickr
A coalition of Republicans, Democrats and independents launched an advocacy group this week. The group calls itself "No Labels" and uses the slogan "Not left. Not right. Forward." Its founders say Americans are frustrated by how hyper-partisan the political discourse in the country has become. The group wants lawmakers to find common ground in the search for solutions to problems that plague the nation. Already "No Labels" has critics from the left and right. They question not only whether the group's goals are realistic but whether they are even desirable. Finding common political ground in a partisan landscape.
Guests
Mickey Edwards
Former Congressman (Oklahoma 1977-1993)and member of the House Republican leadership; former lecturer at Harvard and Princeton; and now vice president of the Aspen Institute.
E.J. Dionne Jr.
senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, Washington Post columnist, and author of "Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right" and of "Stand Up Fight Back."
Ross Douthat
columnist, The New York Times.
Jon Cowan
co-founder of No Labels and president and co-founder of Third Way.
Comments
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Would your guest comment on the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine in
Broadcasting, contributing to the polarization of political views in America
today.
Would your guest comment on the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine in
Broadcasting, contributing to the polarization of political views in America
today.
Two panelists are impressive: EJ Dionne and Mickey Edwards. But both walk carefully around the key issue: who started the fight and why? We can't just dismiss the motivations of those who like this fight and want to continue until all blood is drawn.
There's not going to be anything like comity in America until we face the fact that there has been, since before even Barry Goldwater, a drive to demolish liberalism in America. I don't think that effort will diminish simply because we are calling on everyone to take the third way or drop the labels or make nicey. EJ Dionne comes closest to recognizing the history of our dilemma. Anyone who claims to be a "moderate" but who refuses to face the history of the current split is whistling Dixie.
That said, there's something else I'm hearing: that embrace of the non-profit do-gooder organization which -- whether the goal is taking arts in education to schools in deeply rural areas or taking Karl Rove's version of conservatism to the ballot box courtesy of huge corporate donation -- is often more about "making work" and "making a name (and a bunch of bucks) for oneself" than it is about the kids in rural areas or the welfare of people who vote. I don't know Jon Cowan and certainly don't want to tag him with this, but what he says is uncomfortably familiar to one who has been involved in non-profit efforts.
Bottom line: Thank you, EJ Dionne, for your unwavering sanity in this Orwellian situation.
As long as the terms of the debate are being set by commercial broadcasting interests, and as long as those interests are guided by using news as entertainment in order to get advertising revenue, we are going to see excitement and not substance.
Enjoying your show. My comment is yes things are getting done, but if we want things to get done that really bring the country forward we need the best ideas from all members being discussed and contemplated. If we could do that we could get a great healthcare reform bill instead of a mediocre healthcare reform bill that sort of thing.
I was at the launch event. I think part of the problem both with this discussion and the political dialog revolves around our inability to actually communicate with one another. Each side reacts to the words chosen rather than the actual meaning, content, and actions. I have spoken to people on both sides of the aisle and both parties will persecute someone who does not tow the party line. Politics has really become all the parties not about governing. It is about power for a very narrow party loyal group of people. We need leaders and we need those who govern us to actually govern. Put the country above the party.
The idea of No Labels that we need the center/moderate/person who can easily connect both sides of an issue in order to come to solutions is true.
Solve this problem we need to have open primaries, we need to make it easier for people actually run for office, we need to have nonpartisan competitive redistricting.
Couple with this political reform members of the media need to have a similar movement. A large measure of rancor comes from what passes as journalism.
While I don't mean to over simplify, I blame the press. For example, on any given Sunday, the morning news/discussion shows filter everything through Republicans and Democrats.
Rarely is there any mention of how issue X might impact the actual citizens. Those ends don't seem to be important. All the discussion is on the means of an impact on the political parties.
As a result, our elected officials and their advisors watch these shows and believe it is all about the two parties. It's bad enough most politicians are millionaires and then some. But we certainly can't expect them to think about the rest of us when everything they see and hear is in the context of party verses party. Under such circumstances is it really any wonder they have forgotten who they are working for?
Even the discussion is polarized. Polarization is as American as Cherry Pie.
We need proportional representation. Without it---it is unlikely I'll ever be represented in the congress.
Who is funding this group?
This movement is a MISTAKE. This experiment has been attempted and failed miserably. Look at anyone who is still clinging to Obama's HOPE. It's time for the LEFT to take the gloves off. We are beyond reconciliation and any chance for a "kumbaya" moment. You can only get slapped and turn your cheek so many times before you punch back.
How on Earth can anyone expect we'll get beyond hyper-partisanship when we can't even agree on the facts of most most issues. Example:
Liberals state that most wealth that would be subject to the estate tax has never been taxed.
Conservatives claim this same wealth has already been taxed two, three, or four times.
Both claims can't simultaneously be true.
Also, about labels: it's interesting that those on the right bristle when they are called "teabaggers". But many of these same people commonly refer to the "Democrat Party".
The problem is the party system. The only way to promote centered, reasonable discussion in Washington is to eliminate it. For example: a single, non-partisan election. If no candidate gets a majority, have a run-off for the 2 candidates with the most votes.
I keep wondering if the elephant in the room is money. Don't we need to discuss reducing the influence of big money on our democratic process by overturning the Citizens United ruling, establishing publicly financed elections, and enacting lobbyist reform before we can seriously address the toxic effects of the current political environment?
We are seeing our power and influence decline in the world as quickly as China's economy has risen these past two decades. Unless our government begins to work together to solve our problems and make are country competitive again, we better get used to a new world without the U.S. as the major superpower.
First I agree with EJ's perspective that the Republicans as we knew them barely exist and you are not a Conservative today unless Hard Core Ultra Conservative. The Dems are weak even when in the majority because they are very moderate by contrast- so moderate that they give up nearly every stand they have in order to get a "compromise". Moreover the US Government has become dysfunctional to the extent that it barely functions at all. The Supreme court is hyper-political and ideological and nearly every issue that comes before the current Court has a 5-4 decision attached to it. There is no body that is more dysfunctional than the Senate, where each member appears to believe he or she is Royalty. David, Palm Beach County, Florida
Hi, Diane.
I enjoy your program.
I wonder what your guests think about how much of the polarization, how much of the division, how much of the vicious name-calling comes from radio and TV/cable talk show hosts? In particular, I'm talking about people like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and others.
During the 2008 Presidential race, every time I turned on Rush Limbaugh, he was calling liberals "mindless." To this day, he calls Democrats and liberals names; he bashes them as much as he can.
Glenn Beck has used the Nazi/Hitler comparisons of the Obama administration hundreds of times in the past couple of years. He refers to liberals and progressives as "evil." He has one of his "university" courses entitled something like "Presidents You Should Hate." In the past, he has "joked" about killing Michael Moore, whether he should do it himself or hire someone to do so. Last year, he "joked" about killing Nancy Pelosi by putting poison in her wine.
Sean Hannity also uses very divisive rhetoric. He recently said, "If you get rid of all liberals, we solve all of our problems."
This rallies not only their listeners; it also greatly upsets people like me. I have said things I would not have said a few years ago because I have heard what these pundits say.
I'll second CKMatthews' comment about Republicans/conservatives referring to the "DemocRat" party. Limbaugh purposely does this very often, and I am quite sure many in the Republican party follow his cue.
I emphasize the "Rat" in "Democrat" because I have often seen the capitalized "R" on right wing blogs. People who use the word "Democrat" (a noun) as an adjective are either ignorant, or they are purposely doing so in order to denigrate Democrats. I've seen many Republicans do this, including Eric Cantor, Michelle Bachmann, and many others.
Last night on the news, I saw John Thune refer to the "Democrat leadership." I quickly sent him an email, which I often do whenever I hear Republicans say this.
Whoah, what bad audio. Enough with the heavy breathing of guests!
With people like E.J. Dionne there will be no progress the man is clearly on the far left and only sees what he wants too. As for Diane I have never heard a social welfare program she does not like. A nice lady but a definite liberal.
With people like E.J. Dionne there will be no progress the man is clearly on the far left and only sees what he wants too. As for Diane I have never heard a social welfare program she does not like. A nice lady but a definite liberal.
I am a moderate, business owning Democrat and two-time legislative candidate in the heart of Tea Party country here in Arizona. It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to engage anyone within the Tea Party in any type of meaningful discussion (in fact my opponent refused to debate me because the forum was a PUBLIC school and he advocates school choice). AND, this man won!
I was constantly yelled at by the opposition and told that I was 'disgusting' by people who knew nothing about me except that I had a 'D' by my name.
Although campaigning is ALWAYS arduous, I do not know how we can get good people to run when the process is (at this time) a foregone conclusion.
“At a meeting in Milan on 23 March 1919, attended by 118 people, the 36-year old Mussolini launched the Fascio di Combattimento (Combat Group). The root cause of this move was a frustration with party politics. The term fascio (plural fasci), which in a political sense means ‘union’ or ‘group’, had been used before by revolutionary syndicalists, who set up the Facio di Azione Rivoluzionaria to rally support for Italy’s enrty into the war. The intention was to find an alternative third way in politics, which would appeal to those who had fought for their country and bring together nationalists and socialists.”
Page 16
Mussolini and Italian fascism
By Hamish MacDonald
Are there any "Americans" in the house? Not Democrats -- Not Republicans -- Not even Independents. Americans! A democracy means controlled by the people. Take a real effort to educate the citizens of America about their power, their rights and their responsibility to "pressure" or make sure the people we put in office are doing what we want them to do. We have entire populations that are clueless about the power of their vote (voice) and we make huge efforts to keep them that way. If they were a part of the mainstream, you may not only find better control of the government, but more ideas to move our country forward. We have many brilliant people that feel disenfranchised due to historical tactics, barriers and pure fear and hatred that keeps us apart.
I assume the goal of a better America is for all Americans. From the photo above, I would think that we're only speaking about one group of people.
We look a lot different and should start taking that into account.
While I am glad to finally hear someone talking about this, I wonder why noone has given any credit for perhaps the most outspoken advocate of third party or independent activism. Ralph Nader has been saying many of the things your panelists are saying for years. Are they afraid to admit that Ralph exist?
I'm not sure where the balance to Dionne was supposed to come from. He is so far left, his construct of what moderate means is completely skewed.
I'm all for people who want to get something done. Something that addresses the long-term problems of this country.
There has been vitriolic partisan hostility since the founding. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe are now imagined as august figures no one could have disrespected, but they were demonized by their contemporaries on the opposite side of the factional divide. (As one of your guests is just getting to saying now.)
What has changed is how extreme the positions get, and why. Theoretically, the two-party system forces political campaigns to compete for the swing voters in the middle. Previously, that was mostly true. But the right to vote has been extended to everyone, and voter turnout has fallen and kept on falling. So there are more people who may not vote but there's no doubt which way they'll vote if they vote at all, than there are who will definitely vote but may go either way. Campaigns are now more about GOTV to the former group than about convincing members of the latter.
Here's my proposal: get rid of gerrymandering by letting people choose what House seat to vote for, when they register. Extremists will have an incentive to form third parties and get organized to register for the same seat, so they can get a seat that represents them without compromise. The majority of districts will be left for the middle ground.
The time has come for a new way to run Our country and that way is "WITH INTEGRITY AND COMPASSION, INTELLIGENCE AND HONESTY" And this is just what the "new movement" No Labels is proposing.
It is not another "Party" to divide us further apart, but the answer I have been personally been praying for and even, envisioned.
Everyone gets to keep their label, identity, & belief. And we all get to come together to face each and every aspect of humanity and governing of the NEEDS of all the People.
So can we agree that Beliefs and Needs are different things? They are.
Run OUR Country like a business. First of all Our Country is made up of the People not Big Business. Every American Citizen IS the actual Country. And if we are all created equal then we must ask, how do we Govern this Country in respect to paying for all the NEEDED Governing bodies and actions in respect to the A to Z incomes and the A to Z Human situations everyone is living.
It's simple, just LOOK at what it means to be human, and help make it happen for everybody.
Is it really Extreme to want the best for everyone in our country? We CAN do it! We can make money by creating programs that support people of no income, to learn and be income earners. (Do I hear " new jobs"?) We can help Single mothers/fathers, or the poor elderly folk who may be left out in the cold to die if not for creating new Compassionate programs that actually MAKE JOBS for huge numbers of citizens: by helping, educating and taking care of these population of folk in need. We need jobs, so CREATE New Jobs, And Now! Period.
Lets BE REAL about the NEEDS of this once Great Country.
Lets all come together in fairness for everyone concern and stop holding the American People in Hostage by all this Party Arguing! That is such a waste of time, while the American people are getting flushed down the tube waiting for our government to REALLY DO SOMETHING!.
I can't become a member fast enough! No Labels here I come!