Whatever Happened to Our Political Debate?

My Mother always told me to not talk about religion and politics because these were "sensitive" topics with people. My experience over the years, however, has been to the contrary. I have always been able to address these topics with friends and co-workers without getting into character assassination and personal vindictiveness. Even the politicians of my generation were able to debate issues in a civil way and then go to the bar for a few drinks. In the turmoil in the 60's, 70's and 80's, we had some significant crises. The assassination of John and Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, the race riots, Watergate, the Cold War, and the malaise of the Carter years. Still political debate was civil and the media was balanced.

The optimism of the Reagan years, the end of the Cold War, and our victory in the Gulf War was a period where we reached a high point in national unity and pride.

It seems to me that civility and bipartisanship began to exit our political scene during the first congressional election of Clinton's first term. This marked the first time in some 50 years that the Republicans took control of both houses of Congress and the rhetoric started to get vitriolic. Democrats reacted badly to the demotion and Republicans gloated at their new-found power. The Republicans instituted the "Contract with America" which changed the political culture and philosophy that had been in place for decades.

All this followed the rather polarizing campaign of the Clinton/Bush election which catalyzed extremists on both sides to begin a debate that used character degradation as the norm of our political rhetoric. This reached a peak during the Clinton sex scandal and continues today as talk radio and political blogs flood the airways and the Internet with over zealous ideologues who destroy people they don't agree with.

It is also the denigration of America that has become the focus of our political debate and the assertion, even by our newly elected President, that we no longer have the values we once had.

If we have lost our reputation in the world, as many people claim, why are people clamoring to get here and why does no one want to leave? What country is as generous as ours? Who is first on the scene when there is a famine or Aids epidemic in Africa, an earthquake in Pakistan, a tsunami in Indonesia, genocide in Eastern Europe, and when a demented Nazi dictator tries to take over the European continent because he believed he belonged to some master race?

I'll talk more about this in future postings but it's time for you to get off your duffs and reject this notion that we have deserted our principles just because we have water-boarded three terrorists, or have over 100 war criminals in Gitmo and haven't yet brought charges (too bad). There are three thousand innocent people who had their lives snuffed out in one morning because these religious fanatics think we are evil because we support people whom they despise.

You need to stand up to this demoralization of America that seems to be at the center of our political debate and start to look at what's great about America. Our allies know we are not perfect but they also know that we stand by our friends no matter what. That's why they love us, that's why they try to emulate us, and that's why we are the standard to which they aspire.

Don't let anyone tell you different!