In many ways…it just feels like the prevailing tendency…the public political and policy opinions of our citizenry are moving further apart towards the right or left extremes rather than closer together in the middle. Or…is it simply the case that most people reside comfortably in the middle swath while the noisy folks on either end of the continuum make all of the noise and attract all of the attention? I believe what makes this question so difficult to answer is the fact that the extreme groups certainly seem to be dominating not only the rhetoric, but they are also driving the electoral outcomes. And until that dynamic changes…until our two national political parties get the message of necessary moderation…it is difficult to see how the screamers will be silenced and voice of the center will manage to be heard.
As
our society and culture is wont to do, we have undergone a redefining of what
might be called the extreme elements in either political party. When considering the Democrats, it is
apparently no longer correct to refer to the more radical policy positions as liberal; they are now to be called progressive. The liberals still exist; they simply now
occupy a leftward position closer to the center of the spectrum rather than out
on the left extreme. You might even call
them traditional liberals. Likewise, there are apparently two degrees of
conservatism these days. There are those on the right who are the
opposing…but reasonable...rebuttal to the center-left liberals. We will call this bunch conservatives. The group
that occupies the extreme right of the dial and who represent the polar
opposite of the progressives…we will call them the neo-cons.
It
is unfortunate to the point of depressing that either one of these extreme
political groups have gained disproportionate influence not only in the control
of our national parties, but also in their prominence regarding the attention
of the media. Whether it is legitimate
or not, the media has anointed these outspoken militants as the spokespersons for their party. You doubt my conjecture? Simply look at who is recognized as the
leader of each party today and the forces that are driving the political and
policy positions for those respective parties.
It is Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and all of their scattered minions across
the political landscape. I suspect that
in the core of their hearts, Biden and Trump are not authentically members of their party extremes. That current position likely has much more to
do with the fact that they are unprincipled political opportunists…rather than
them being somehow moored to radical policies.
They both are paper-thin as far as policy
conviction goes and the prevailing direction of the political winds has
much more influence on their beliefs than any form of substantive beliefs. It is no great surprise that many of the more
radical characters in either party enthusiastically support them.
It
is a harsh reality, but a strong argument can be made that these political
extremes are necessary to maintain some equilibrium in American politics. Without sincere and unfortunately sometimes
uncompromising activists in each party, we run the risk of compromise to the
point of meaningless policy. If a party
does not stand for something, it will
fall for anything. For our democracy to
function as it was designed, our national parties should clearly compromise on
practice but stand fast on their principles.
The glaring defect that has become so prevalent in today’s political
environment is the fact that the uncompromising elements in the parties have
taken control and created not only open political warfare, but also a poisonous
political atmosphere that has saddled our government and society with
bitterness, hate, inefficiency, and loss of ethical and moral standing.
In
some form or another, the centrist elements in each party must reassert their
control and gain prevailing influence over their respective side of the
political aisle. And while entertaining
the opinions and thoughts of their radical elements, they must make it
abundantly clear that the nature and essence of democracy is good-faith debate
that does not burn the house down for the sake of pyrrhic political
victories. I might suggest that a very
good starting point for this effort would be the nomination of someone other
than Biden and Trump as our next presidential candidates.
How has this oversized influence of
each party’s activist elements impacted our nation? Let us consider three issues where I believe
the damaging effect of this phenomenon is being realized….
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling on
Dobbs that moved governmental authority over abortion back to the individual states,
the issue of abortion has become one of, if not the most applied political
campaign tool in the arsenal of both parties. I live in Kentucky and have witnessed
firsthand the blatant demagoguery of abortion policy in this year’s race for
governor. It is being shamelessly used
as a political cudgel by both parties on a nationwide basis and will likely be
a prominent feature in next year’s presidential race. While good people hold strong convictions
regarding the issue of abortion, the plain and simple fact is that it is an
issue that is best left to be judged by wisdom greater than that of federal and
state entities. You can count on this:
the Republicans and the Democrats do not supersede God Almighty when it comes
to the final judgment. It is simply not reasonable for the extreme abortion
elements in the Republican Party to demand the imposition of their moral code
on people who in good conscience do not prescribe to that moral code. Nor is it reasonable for Democrats to support
discretionary late-term abortions, sometimes up to and beyond the moment of
actual birth.
On
December 3, 2021, I put up the following post: https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-abortion-state-of-play.html
. At that time, the Supreme Court was
hearing arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case (Jackson, Mississippi). I cite this case not for Constitutional and
legal purposes, but to simply point out that I believe the Mississippi abortion
law in question here is the model that should be pursued in good conscience by
states across our country. I am
comfortable in guessing that if the question were to be put fairly before all
Americans, fully 75 percent of those polled would support a law similar to
this. One that will not satisfy the
firmly-held convictions of the extreme groups on either side of the abortion
question; but one that clearly strikes a reasonable balance of tolerance for
the right of people to hold differing beliefs on matters of conscience. There
is a link within the above-linked article that will allow you to read the text
of the Mississippi law.
This
type of legislation is what I mean by the Democrat and Republican forces in the
center of the political spectrum coming together to drown out the radicals
imbedded in both of their organizations and finding a compromise that is rational,
compassionate, and that can be squared with an individual’s personal
convictions.
* Postscript Update: Yesterday (11/7/23) was election day and there were two prime examples of the abortion legislation extremism I am addressing. In Kentucky, our pathetic weasel of an incumbent Governor Beshear shamelessly used the tragedy of a young girl's pregnancy/abortion to obtain re-election in Kentucky. This would not have been possible if the Kentucky Republican-dominated legislature had not established one of the most-restrictive abortion laws in the nation. They basically tied Republican Governor Candidate Daniel Cameron's hands and handed Beshear a magic potion to use for re-election. In Ohio, the voters passed an abortion initiative that is one of the least-restrictive in the nation. I must believe that many of the voters did not fully understand the fundamentals and predictable outcomes of this measure. There will be tremendous pushback against it once those facts become apparent and the outcomes become reality. These are two instances of how radical positions can influence the moderate voters in the middle of the political spectrum. These folks in the center yearn for some reason and common sense...some tolerance and compromise.
While the raging global crisis in
the Middle East continues to explode, America is undergoing a crisis in conscience in regards to expressions
of anti-Semitic feelings. From the
streets of our large cities…to the campuses of our universities…to the halls of
Congress…to the West Wing of our White House, there has arisen an inability on
the part of some to condemn acts of pure evil and hatred such as the Hamas
terrorist attack on Israel and the
anti-Semitic rhetoric and activities occurring across our nation. Not only has there been an effort to draw a
moral equivalency between the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians
and the act of self defense from open hostility; but now it seems that one
cannot condemn the apparent and prevalent happenstance of anti-Semitic actions
without also mentioning the darkness of Islamophobia. Although somewhat similar in nature, these
are clearly two separate and distinct issues.
To
legitimize the actions of one hateful opinion by citing the existence of
another is thin gruel indeed. While both
anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are deplorable, it is obviously inappropriate to
require the mention of both practices
in order to condemn the one that is in our face at the moment. It surreptitiously feeds the false moral
equivalence mentioned earlier and provides cover for those who lack the moral
conviction to stand on principle. I am referring
to those people who wish to appear moderate when, in fact…they are simply
couching their radical views in diplomatic subterfuge.
If
one cannot find the backbone to stand up and call evil out...regardless of whom
the players are and the roles they represent in the conflict…without blending
it with a distinctly separate issue that somehow dilutes the veracity of the
statement…then what have we become? Once again, we see an example of the
extreme elements in one party dictating the narratives of current events.
Anti-Semitism
and Islamophobia are both odious practices, but make no mistake about it: There is a right side and a wrong side in
the current Middle East crisis. The
best example of what I am trying to write about…this preposterous moral equivalency…is best illustrated by the inane
words of its most infamous practitioner, Barack Hussein Obama… the number one
American cheerleader for Iran. After
spending 8 years of his leadership tenure poisoning the Middle East environment
with appeasement towards terrorist states, he now pontificates in a saintly
tone…oblivious to the consequences of his own actions: https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/obamas-blame-everyone-comments-on-the-middle-east/
Another polarizing issue that has
been largely controlled by radical political elements in our country is the
issue of race.
As a matter of fact and foundation, a good place to start with any
discussion of race in America is to look at our precise racial
composition. Here is the official data
from the United States Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045222
While
emphasizing the founding principles of our nation and the fundamental right of
…dignity, respect, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
for ALL Americans, it is nonetheless reasonable to apply the facts of
proportionality to this discussion. For
whatever reason, the issue of race in our country has been dominated by not
only the extreme radical elements in our political parties, but also by extreme
radical elements within the racial minorities themselves…and the professional race hustlers within those elements. Once again, I turn to the most impactful and negative
polarizer in my lifetime, Barack Hussein Obama.
It is a tragedy of historical proportion that a man who held such
potential for positive racial change in America chose instead to waste it away
on a self-aggrandizing ego trip. He
single-handedly perpetuated the bitter racial divide that still exists today and
pushed any hope of positive movement in the reconciliation of that divide far
down the road. I wrote of this in July
of 2015: https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2015/07/getting-over-to-get-even.html
We
must become a color-blind society if we are ever going to rid ourselves of this
discrimination stain. We must eliminate wielding discrimination as
a remedy for discrimination. The
moderate people of both parties understand this concept. They embrace this concept in their daily
lives. Yet we continue to see the issue
of race dominated by the radical political and social voices among us. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 got it right; we
need to honor those words: https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/title-vii-civil-rights-act-1964
These
are just three issues in the myriad of confusion that is enveloping our nation
and our world today. If we are to
continue the prosperity in this great country of ours, the voices and actions
of the radical elements in our people…both left and right…must be mitigated and
brought to heel. For a much better
assessment of the world, our nation, and the binds we find ourselves in, please
listen to this great podcast. It is spot
on...intelligent conversation by thoughtful people: https://www.honestlypod.com/podcast/episode/e109401d/a-world-spinning-out-of-control
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