Jan 11 2008
Nation Not Polarized, Talking Heads Are
The Anchoress notes today something about the chattering class who control the media message and the rest of America who work, raise families and live their lives. The key point (from Dick Meyer) is we are not polarized and hyper-partisan – it is the talking heads!
[Meyer] … independent, swing voters never went away, they just had only highly partisan candidates to choose from. Unhappy with such choices, their votes were evenly divided between two bad options. This resulted in close elections. Analysts mistakenly said this meant America was polarized. It wasn’t. Politicians, activists and candidates were partisan and polarized. Most voters were not. They were pragmatic and open-minded.I more than agree. Meyer makes the point that America has not been “polarized†so much as limited to choices of extremes and caricature. Who the hell wants to vote for extremes and caricatures?
Interesting hypothesis. I still feel not only is America more moderate but they are getting absolutely fed up with the hyper-partisan wailing.
I tend to agree. For sure the Dems have succeeded in making an extreme caricature of George W.Bush. This is the Madam selling her book “Albright: Bush ‘One of the Worst Presidencies’ in History…” now why was that necessary? This is only one example. I’m not as in tuned when the Rep. do the same thing.
I have said this before and I will say it again: Here is how any candidate that wants it can win election for President:
American is not conservative and American is not liberal. America is a patchwork quilt of many different communities and regions with those values to varying degrees. Some communities are more liberal and some are more conservative and communities should be free to live their values as they see fit without Washington being on their backs to force some culture on them.
The President is everyone’s President and it isn’t his job to create a monolithic national culture dictated out of Washington and laid down across the land. The job of the President is to carry out those tasks that ALL Americans of any political stripe expect a federal government to do such as defense, transportation, and basic economics for trade. The court systems should not be used to further cultural ideologies. This divides people, it makes them fear their neighbor based on their politics, it creates class divisions. Questions such as abortion, gay rights and community expressions of religious and other culture do not belong at the federal level. These questions are best addressed at the lowest levels of government able to rule on such things.
In this way, different communities will enact different rules that will reflect their values and their people will be comfortable and happy with them. One community is not forcing their values down another’s throat simply because the one community is larger. There would be places where abortion is illegal, places where it is legal. Everyone in this country should have a right to happiness in an area wholes culture reflects their own. They should have the right to “vote with their feet” if need be and move there if they wish.
If a President is liberal or conservative in their social values then doesn’t really matter much at the federal level. You will know that you and your community will be left alone to pursue happiness in whatever form that might take. Tulsa won’t dictate their culture on San Francisco and Seattle won’t dictate theirs on Wichita. Urban cultural values won’t be pressed onto rural areas simply because New York and Los Angeles have more votes than Easton or Elko.
A President continuing down Reagan’s road of getting government off the people’s back and giving genuine respect to Americans of all social stripe regardless of your own personal values will allow one to win elections. Americans are tired of the social evangelicals who would attempt to “convert” the entire country to their value system using the laws to do it.
I think the Anchoress is right, after all there are people who make their living creating chaos, resentment and discord. Most people have better things to do.
Most Americans rememberand live by what their Mama taught them –
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
When the chattering class in Washington and NY start up
the rest of us think just shut up already.
CP,
I agree to a point. “Conversion” in the form of persuasion is generally a good thing. This was Bush’s model. And no one should feel threatened by open debate.
No one should feel threatened by the opposite party getting power in Washington. DC should not be dictating social policy in our communities. That is what has me most upset with both the “liberals” and the “conservatives”. If they want to have a political party whose main agenda is to enforce a social agenda, fine, create a Social Liberal and Social Conservative party and run for office. Don’t go hijacking the Democrat and Republican parties to do it.