Friday, October 2, 2009
How Healthy is our current Democracy?
We recently read about Ambivalent Social Networks and that caused me to start to think about the health of our democracy. I have been reading a bunch of Op-Ed opinions about the tone of our political discourse and how dangerous it is. Thomas Friedman recently wrote about this reminds him of the environment leading up too the assignation of Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Friedman talked about how Rabin's political opponents did not discourage the violent rhetoric against him. His opponents really helped to create this environment in which the assassinator believed he was doing the country a favor by getting rid of this guy. I think about our current political debate about HC and the opponents of President Obama are doing the exact same thing. I must ask myself what will this lead too? The President's critics simply do not criticize his policies but suggest the guy is something "different". Members of Congress question his legitimacy as if to say this guy should be picked up like some illegal immigrant. David Brooks of the NY Times recently made a great point about the criticism from the opponents of the President. Brooks thought the race of the President is simply not driving the opposition as President Carter suggests, but the fact that this President has Hollywood and Silicon Valley friends and the idea of big change. Brooks is one of the smartest conservatives in the country. I think he right partially because race is too simplistic of answer to the question of what is driving the opposition. If Clarence Thomas was President I do not believe these same folks would be taking to streets to question his legitimacy and policies. Clarence Thomas would have a much different agenda and vision of the future of America. I think it is the combination of liberalism, race, and change that is driving the opposition to the President. I think some people are uncomfortable with idea that America will really change and there children want have the same advantages they did. The important question is can we solve problems if one side is simply determined to see the President's policies fail? We have American problems that need American solutions. Is this achieve able if all the solutions the President propose is painted as simply far left winged solutions? I would go on the NY Times web page or any other news site and the most popular stories are always opinions. As a society we seek out information from sources that we agree with agree or disagree? The most popular television programs are all opinion and either liberal or conservative. The question is if we are so dug in as a society can the President really move anyone? I worry about the fact that if one sides goal is to see the other side lose what about the country? The article talks about how healthy disagreement is in society but, what about when there is no consensus on anything? I think people should be free to criticize the Presidents policies without being deemed a racist or unamerican. I think to say race is not a factor in the oppostion is a bit unrealistic. I think the elected officials in the GOP have a responsibility to separate themselves from the lunatics and don't encourage violence by not discouraging it. Even as a liberal I believe two viewpoints are great for the country, but the current GOP is going the way of the whigs. I think the people are being deprived there is only one solution being proposed to many problems we face. I also believe people fear government in this country to much. Can we continue down this path without huge consequences?
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Nice one, Jerel!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite critic of the president is Charlie Krauthammer (I think that's how you spell it, and I will most certainly not "google" his name-lol). Anyways, he just wrote an editorial denouncing Obama's decision not to reveal Iran's hidden Nuclear (why did I capitalize "N"?) facility in Qom during his opening speech to the U.N. security council. To those out there uninformed about the miracle of all that is U.N., the permanent-five in this most auspicious of councils are China, Russia"n Federation", Britain, France, and the good-ole .S. of A. In addition to these, ten other non-permanent members are elected each year (http://www.un.org/sc/members.asp). Barack "The President" Hussein Obama decided that nuclear disarmament was the more pressing issue. I respect the President's wishes. Instead of fear mongering, Obama preached some love to the world. I like love. Love seems to make me happy, and I try to spread it around ...haha, NOT THAT WAY!).
I took Dr. Gaziorowski??'s Poli 408-somethin's class on Arab-Palestinian relations, which is a delightful class by the way (Did you know that Israel appropriated like 90% of the arable land?), and I read one of Friedman's books for that class on Al Qaeda. He's a pretty hardcore mamajama, but I think he's just goin through some PTSD. The democrats are not trying to steal any private property. Remember that guy with the "Don't Tread On Me" banner and the "blood of tyrants" guy at one of those rally's? Well, nobody's treading on anyone. Quite the contrary, this health care bill will keep corporations from treading on us.
About the race issue, I find it troubling to make assumptions, because I think there are 300 million opinions out there. Some may be just plain awful, but the overwhelming majority has its heart in the right place. That said, I think what has caused such outright defiance and even flaunting of the baseness of civility was exacerbated by the depression. What do people with high SES resources and religious affiliations due when they run out of money? Apparently, they protest. They go to rallies and town-hall meetings. They go door to door, whatever it takes. They are doing it now, and they will continue to do it. Whoever is for health care change should be doing the same thing. Bring your guns, picnic blankets, and Thomas Paine pamphlets! It is our right, but so is the monopolization of health care.
You know, about the whole assassination thing, IDK. It happens. In the U.S. it happens alot. Obama knows this, and so did Bush 1 & 2, Clinton, and especially Reagan. Is health care as polarizing as Civil Rights?
Lastly, I fear the government only if i feel there is too much "taxation without representation"!
.....Maybe when I start making over 250K I'll feel differently....
TTTTTTIGERBAIT!
then again
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kctv5.com/news/21176602/detail.html
The guy with blood of tyrants t-shirt on at the New Hampshire HC rally for the President was scary. I think some people and pundits in particular are having difficulty adjusting to a President that is not a fear monger. I find it interesting that people love criticizing the fact that the President admits we are not a perfect nation. The Presidents speech too the UN was great letting the world know everyone has a stake and role in solving global problems. I always hear people saying for once could he something nice about the country. The elction of the current President represents a symbol so powerful words will never be able to express. His mere presence representing us as a nation sends a signal to everyone else that America is a special nation. To the race question I would agree that the majority of Americans have their heart in the right place. The minority who do not have their hearts in the right place are quite powerful. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people". The question of whether HC is as polarizing as Civil Rights is a tough one. I think both issues are moral issues, have leaders that can lift and inspire, about a better America for everyone,and the same idea of too much gov't in the personal lives of citizens used against them. I think HC is polarizing but not as Civil Rights. Assassinations are more political in this country than we would like to admit. The idea of bringing people together seems to draw attempts on the lives of those individuals. When you have right wing radio host stirring up hate and scaring people it is a recipe for disaster. It only takes one person to make a horrible decision.
ReplyDeletePS The spreading the love comment was hilarious!
I think the current situation is one of disturbing political scare tactics as Republicans seem to be throwing wood on the fire and then walking away sneering and acting naive. They seem to oppose EVERY step of reform towards anything but yet the Democrats are constantly called out for being one-sided?? Republicans insist on having their say on certain aspects of health care but end up all voting against every resolution while celebrating larger unemployment numbers as failures of progressive politics as opposed to the reality of a struggling country who needs its leaders to stop with the hissy fits and help make real changes.
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