When Compromise is Compromised

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life for evermore. -- Psalm 133


I've been sitting for a few days on an e-mail chain letter sent to me by a beloved relative. The thing is dripping with muddled thinking, wild diatribe, and delusion. But I've sat on it. Maybe this relative reads my blog. I don't know. Not sure what to do, so I'll follow my usual mantra in such confounding, hair-triggering moments: "Don't just DO something, STAND THERE." Pause. Breathe deeply. Think it through.


I am deeply concerned for my country. This liberal-conservative wrestling match is refereed, broadcast and performed much like a WWE match: the two sides pound their chests and scream death and destruction down on the "evil" other side and will stoop ever lower to gouge, thump and kick their way to victory; the "journalists" are little more than hucksters promoting the fight with breathless credulity and fire-breathing graphics; and the referees conveniently have their heads turned as the rules are broken... if they agree to enforce any rules at all. Is there even a rule book anymore?!?


Worse, I've come to believe the bulk of our electorate is addicted to this match-play mindset, with our no-fall, 20-minute time limit attention span. 


Little or nothing constructive can be accomplished in such a circus environment. Thoughtful analysis and careful consideration are drowned out by the carnival barkers whose sole task is to grab attention and keep the money flowing from every passing suckers' pocket into their tills.


If we ever stop the three active wars we are currently waging overseas, we'll find that the real battle is an uncivil war of such magnitude and ferocity that it has swallowed up our political system, most of our media and the daily head-space of almost every voting American. 


I was happy to hear these words from President Obama at yesterday's press conference:



"My experience with John Boehner has been good. I think he's a good man who wants to do right by the country.  I think that it's a -- as Chip alluded to, the politics that swept him into the speakership were good for a midterm election; they're tough for governing.  And part of what the Republican caucus generally needs to recognize is that American democracy works when people listen to each other, we're willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt, we assume the patriotism and good intentions of the other side, and we're willing to make some sensible compromises to solve big problems.  And I think that there are members of that caucus who haven't fully arrived at that realization yet."
GEORGE CONDON:    So your confidence in him wasn't shaken by him walking away from the big deal he said he wanted?
THE PRESIDENT: "These things are a tough process.  And, look, in fairness, a big deal would require a lot of work on the part of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and myself to bring Democrats along.  But the point is, is if everybody gets in the boat at the same time, it doesn't tip over.  I think that was Bob Dole's famous comment after striking a deal with the President and Mr. Gingrich back in the '90s.  And that is always the case when it comes to difficult but important tasks like this."


With everyone addicted to incendiaries and head-slams into turnbuckles, what can compromise possibly bring? We first need to ratchet down the bloodsport, ratchet up the level of discourse, and gain a clear grasp of what exactly is going on. THEN we find our path of action. The first step to reasonable compromise is REASON, which is so lacking at the moment. Without it, our ability to compromise is compromised.

Hyperbole Will Surely Be the Death of Us All !!!!!!

What happened in Tucson is tragic. It seems pretty obvious that Jared Lee Loughner is really messed up. A kid expelled from his local community college for mental health reasons and concern for public safety should be in regular treatment, and should not be able to legally purchase a Glock. Private citizens cannot legally purchase the magazine he used which allowed him to rapidly fire so many rounds into the heads and bodies of folks just like you, me, our parents and kids. Whoever illegally sold the magazine to him should be tried as an accessory to murder and never be allowed within 1000 yards of a firearm again.

I get all that. I think just about every reasonable human being would agree with everything stated above.

As a slightly left-leaning down-the-middler, I also get the frustration and disgust with the current state of political discourse. I avoid Glen Beck, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, WHAM, and - for that matter - Keith Olberman and Ed Schultz. I find NPR to be much more level-headed in everything short of knee-jerk personnel decisions.

I don't like Sarah Palin as a candidate. I'm of the opinion that if she was physically unattractive she'd be back home in Wasila. Forever. She'd better quickly hit the books and gain some gravitas, because gravity is already beginning to address that which attracted the spotlight to her in the first place. (I can say that because I'm pushing 50, too.)

But here is where I find myself drawing the line: I can't find Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh or partisan bluster remotely responsible for a sick kid who did a sick thing. I firmly believe the above listed politainers play fast and loose with facts when they bother with facts at all. I firmly believe they further poison the already brackish political waters (and, again, I'd throw Keith Olberman and his constant faux outrage into the same pot). I firmly believe they make it very difficult to reach out and reason with "the other side of the aisle," no matter which side you're on.

But I find my conservative acquaintances to be among the most upright and law-abiding citizens I know. Even if I can't talk politics with them, I know I can trust them personally. Some of them own legal fire arms. As far as I know, none of them has ever so much as pointed a steak knife at another human being. Conservative anger -- or even hubris -- is not a crime. And even if political vitriol might speak to some armed-to-the-teeth psychopath,  ornate wallpaper patterns and the neighbor's dog do, too.

I very much want to end the political polarization of this nation. How can we do that when we take our own accusations to such polar extremes?