When Did We Become so Ugly?

First, an apology to my friend, Keith Wilhite. Keith is a fine Christian man with whom I would entrust my children. Nonetheless, I just went off on him just because he was the nearest Republican.

It was like I was in a Democrat/Republican hockey game. When the fight breaks out, you grab the nearest opponent and start wailing on him, even if he did nothing.

I'm a registered Democrat. And the fact that you probably just thought "a liberal!" is exactly the problem I have with American politics. The truth is I'm a fiscal conservative. I think there should be a rock-solid connection be taxes and spending. If you lower taxes, you have to lower spending. If you raise spending, you have to raise taxes. It seems pretty straightforward to me, but nobody has the balls to actually behave that way.

So I support a balanced budget amendment that works like this:

1) Congress approves and the President signs whatever budget they can work out

2) An independent group of Super Accountants periodically certifies that the federal budget is actually balanced using standard accounting principals

3) If the budget gets out of balance, Congress has 30 days to get it back in balance or taxes are automatically raised to make it balanced.

You want $100 billion for war funding? Fine, unless you cut something else, taxes are going up. $700 billion to bail out Wall Street? OK, here's the bill on your taxes. It doesn't get more fiscally conservative than this: If it's worth having, it's worth paying for. No Free Lunch.

The fact that people just hurl "liberal!" at me like an epithet when the hear "Democrat" is why I increasingly dislike American politics. It's become a shockingly rude, cruel, mean spirited, win-at-any-cost, honor-less mess. And I'm becoming infected by it, as evidenced by me going off on Keith for no real reason. I am starting to understand very well why people just withdraw from the process. 

With all the moderate people withdrawing from the process in disgust leaves the hard-cores in charge, which merely increases the level of slash-and-burn.

Today both sides -- both sides -- try to win through insinuation, scare-tactics and distorting records. Over the last decade especially, both sides have poured millions into labeling their opponents and then creating wildly simplistic caricaturizations for those labels.

One hundred years ago, "liberal" meant generous and reform-minded. Today it has been made to connote "pro-homosexual, lazy, socialist baby-killers who are military cowards,envy the financially successful and don't think anyone should have to work for a living."

One hundred years ago "conservative" meant cautious, contemplative and prudent. Today it's been made to connote "stone-hearted, greedy, oppressors of the masses who want to electrocute gay people and favor legalizing indentured servitude."

Neither is true. You heard it from a registered Democrat: the stereotype of Republicans is not accurate. The truth -- not that anyone is interested in truth any more -- is that the Republican and Democratic Parties are not monolithic. There are all kinds of differences within each party.

Unfortunately, the hard-cores in both parties have embraced nasty, snotty, name-calling, rude, denigrating one-upsmanship as a way to win. There's no honor. Less candor. All minds are closed. Nobody tells voters anything they don't want to hear.

Why? Why? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WORKS. The venom on both sides is what the American public laps up and responds to. Honest, reason, politeness -- that's the sure route to defeat. Whenever someone tries the high road, they immediately sink in the polls. If you want to be President, you have to get ugly and meet voters in the gutter. Go negative and you rise like a rocket. As a wise man once told me -- in the context of raising children, but it still applies here -- behavior that achieves the desired result will be repeated. 

As long as the negative stuff works, it's going to continue. And I'm not optimistic that enough Americans are going to be as repulsed by it as I am that it will end any time soon. 

So I'm thinking about changing my party affiliation to Independent and just ignoring the whole disgraceful free-for-all. I already can't talk politics with anyone because I can't stand having the "liberal" stereotype above automatically slapped on my forehead like "6-6-6." And nobody seems to be open to considering opposing views, except for the purposes of ridiculing them. So what's the point?

None that I can see.

Comments

[Angie]

Many good points as always, Bill. But there ARE people out there who are open to opposing viewpoints. They aren't the ones talking, though. They are the ones listening. Which is why you might not notice them. I was one of them in the span between 2001 and 2004, when I was taking a second look at my political beliefs, and how, if at all, they meshed with what I professed my faith to be. I did a lot of listening, and I'm so thankful for the people whose paths I crossed during those years who could speak calmly and rationally about their opinions, when it would have probably been easier for them to just go negative. It's something I haven't forgotten, and still need to remind myself of. I have to believe there is still a place for respectful debate. Call me a naive idealist (just like they call the guy I support in this presidential race! ha), but maybe there's someone out there whose path I cross, who is just quietly listening, as I was.

[Bill]

Bless you, St. Angie.

[Angie]

Yeah, my response was kinda pollyanna, wasn't it? Don't get me wrong, I've thrown my fair share of labels on other people too.

But I don't think liberal is a bad word. Some of my favorite dudes (and dudettes) from history were considered liberal in their day.

And that Keith, he probably deserved it.
:)

[Rawley]

Great spiel Bill.

The world is full of "why" it seems. Heck, my daughter asks me all the time. (That's why I recommend recording "How It's Made" on Discovery channel - and by the way, kids like it to - it's a huge help.)

Sometimes the answers are so difficult (such as the case in politics) that it's easier to just avoid the truth and say that's just the way it is. I hate even saying that. That's not my style. But I'm just as frustrated as you are. Two truths I've realized - we Iowa boys are unique and I believe that. Meaning we have been raised to be polite, respect our elders - get my drift? This is something other places in the country have no concept of. And the other truth, though sad as it may be, is we live in a culture where everyone loves a train wreck, a car crash, (pick your favorite reckless activity here) and we love it so much, our taste for the ugly as you put it, is what some of us like.

It's human I guess. But the problem with this really ugly behavior, is it's trickle-down effect, sooner or later, we all get hurt in someway. I wish I had the answer, God knows I wish.

Because someday, my little girl is going to grow up and ask, why?

[drunkenhopfrog]

Nice post. Very thoughtful. I've browsed some of your posts and agree a lot with what you have to say.

Amazing, that. I'm an unrepentant non-believer in an religious practice; I am not a father; I am not a (good) writer. So, all we have in common is that we're both husbands. Right?

Of course not. There can be a common ground. Folks just need to listen more often and understand someone does not have to be a clone of oneself in order to share or have valuable opinion.

Reader subscribed.

[Mark]

AS a Canadian who just followed you in your "Pressdog" guise, I am over here now and impressed with your take. You are asking the USA to take a kindler, gentler step back in debate. That is fine, except the nasty stuff has always part of US poltics. Read some of the stuff said about Thomas Jefferson when he was running against Adams for President. And these two were FRIENDS.

US politics has always been nasty and there has been name calling and labels tossed around. Canadian politics used to be a little more like what you have wishfully wanted, but it too is nasty. Poltics is about powerful people with agenda's wanting power when you get right down to it.

As for your fiscal ideas, you would paralyse the US Congress in about 10 minutes. Debt and deficit are part of running gov'ts. The trick is to not let the debt and deficit to be put out of hand. Like now...like....the US is screwed if someone doesn't clue in that the only way out will be to devalue the US dollar. Shades of the Weimar Republic......