Posts filed under 'Politics as UNusual?'
Two Senators have finally caught on to what The Village Square knew all along: They’d better start eating together if they want to get along. Retiring Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) wrote a joint letter requesting that the Senate convene a once a month bipartisan lunch. On today’s Face the Nation:
SENATOR EVAN BAYH (D-Indiana): Well, first, Lindsey Graham is my friend and we need more friendships across the aisle because that’s ultimately how you get principled compromise enacted. And part of this, Bob, was informed by my father’s experience where back in the day he might have philosophical or political differences but you still reach out and try to do the people’s business. So little of that takes place because there’s so little action– interactionamong senators. We have the caucus systems. So the Democrats are over here. The Republicans are over here. They hardly ever meet to listen to one another…
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: …But he’s dead right. You know we share a locker by the– by the gym. I get to– I’ve got to know Evan when– when he announced he was going to leave the Senate. A lot of Republicans said, oh, boy, we can pick up Indiana. The first thing I thought of was, oh, no. Because at the end of the day Evan has shown a willingness to reflect Indiana values which is to find middle ground because it’s in the middle of the country. I hope people respond to the lunch and I hope it will over time mean something. I know it’s silly for most Americans to think this is newsworthy but it is.
BOB SCHIEFFER: But it does sort of emphasize how bad the situation has gotten that you would propose this.
SENATOR EVAN BAYH: It’s almost tribal, Bob. And I think Lindsey is right most. Americans probably listen to this and go, well, that’s so basic it’s silly. But the caucus system really is used as an instrument of control, party control. The information that’s provided very often is designed to lead to a particular result. You spend a lot of time talking about. Well, my first day in the Senate, literally, my first day, first caucus meeting, we were already talking about the next election.
March 7th, 2010
As details of the expose on John Edwards’ train wreck (and oh my this is an epic train wreck) come out from Andrew Young’s book The Politician, it’s worth noting that I haven’t heard one peep from the GOP trying to tie Edwards to President Obama and the Democratic party in general. Apparently they’ve suspended “politics as usual” on this one, for which we should all be eternally grateful.
Too often we notice the transgressions, but I believe it’s worth noting the moments of real decency. We found one.
Go figure.
(Editorial comment: Citizens should be on guard for the corrupting nature of fame and power in their leaders on both sides of the aisle. To pretend that this is the exclusive territory of one or the other party – which one entirely related to which one you’re in – is just silly.)
(Photo credit.)
February 1st, 2010
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch eulogized Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy early this morning on news of his passing:
“In the current climate of today’s United States Senate it is rare to find opportunities where both sides can come together and work in the middle to craft a solution for our country’s problems. Ted Kennedy, with all of his ideological verbosity and idealism was a rare person who at times could put aside differences and look for common solutions. Not many ever got to see that side of him, but as peers and colleagues we were able to share some of those moments.”
August 26th, 2009
This morning I made my first visit to the places of worship of our summer panel for “A Rabbi, A Priest, A Pastor and An Imam.”
Today I visited “The Pastor,” The Reverend Dr. Julius McAllister and his Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church.
To the swaying sounds of “Jesus is the light, that ever shines, in my soul” sung out strong by what seemed like way too few people for the sweet booming music they made, Reverend McAllister’s service was a celebration in every sense of the word. His sermon, more poetry than speech, complete with musical rests and crescendos, staccato and fortissimo, wisdom and humor, holding on and releasing.
I was conscious of the roots of their faith, the worship bequeathed from a mother and father to their children, and to their children, and to theirs. I was also conscious of the places in their tradition of worship that briefly kissed my Episcopal tradition. Obviously, we are neighbors. There’s beauty in these roots, both in where they touch and where they diverge. Something that grows so long from roots is strong.
During the portion of the service where Episcopalians say “the Peace” by reaching to the neighbors around us – sometimes with a handshake, a hug or a smile, Rev. McAllister’s congregation walked… they walked halfway down the long row of pews, they walked down the other aisle, they walked up to the alter, they walked just about everywhere. Men and women bouncing around; touching, laughing and hugging… all while seeming to save especially sincere words of welcome for me.
I couldn’t just sit in place – on the opposite side of town – and find the new neighbors I met on this Sunday. I wonder what would change – if like the congregation at Bethel AME – we all walked just a bit.
June 14th, 2009
Find the transcript of Governor Crist’s Meet the Press appearance here (page about halfway down the page). Crist:
“…well, there is a national leader, his name is President Obama. And, and the people elected him. And, and I’m willing to give him a good shot and, and try to help make this work. We’re in a tough time, as we talked about before. I think we do need to be bipartisan. We need to be, in fact, nonpartisan. We’re all Americans. Our country is at a dire point, and we need to do everything we can to work together to get America through this, and I know that she will.”
February 22nd, 2009
“The horrible thing about politics is the more they attack each other, the more they try to derail each other, the worse it is for the people.” –California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on This Week with George Stephanopoulos
February 22nd, 2009
On tonight’s Hardball, Chris Matthews, when discussing Judd Gregg bowing out of consideration for Commerce Secretary, referred to former New York Mayor John Lindsay (R), who according to Matthews said “there’s no Republican way to collect garbage.”
A wise man clearly ahead of his time.
(To my dear friend Anne: 1. Fact check, just like old times 2. More wise John Lindsay quotes 3. I remembered I always got the Ann vs. Anne wrong so I worked hard to get it right)
February 12th, 2009
Like the economic stimulus package that just made its way to a vote in the Senate today or not (and smart people of good will can – and do – disagree), we have to pause to note a bit of a unique gathering concerning the stimulus that happened today in Fort Myers.
Democratic President Obama, pushing the stimulus plan, was introduced by Florida’s Republican Governor Charlie Crist. Granted, they teamed up because Crist supports the stimulus, so the marriage is certainly a political animal.
But there are signs in it of a call to a higher level of citizenship, one that transcends the concern for who will win the next election and replaces it with a concern for the work ahead. We think we win if there are similar acts of transcendent citizenship on the “con” side of the stimulus argument too.
Doesn’t solve everything, but at least the “feet of clay” are moving in the right direction. To borrow from President Obama’s praise of Crist today, “when the town is burning, you don’t check party labels, you need to grab a hose.”
February 10th, 2009
(CBS) Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.
This is not a commentary: It is a collection of facts.
598,000 jobs were lost in January. That’s the largest loss in thirteen consecutive months of decline.
Since December of 2007, 3.6 million jobs have been lost, half of them in the last four months.
More than eleven and a half million people are now unemployed. Unemployment stands at 7.6 percent.
The underemployed – that is, those who have given up looking for work and those who are working part-time because they can’t find full-time jobs – now stands at 21.7 million people.
More than thirteen and a half million Americans now owe more than their homes are worth.
Retirement accounts have lost more than two trillion dollars in a year.
The global economy is getting worse, which will make it harder to sell American goods abroad.
And the banking system is a mess.
The following is also not a commentary; it is a true/false test.
The process is underway, but in light of those numbers you just heard, wouldn’t it be better for all of us (and for them, as a matter of fact) if Congress – Democrats and Republicans – now put less emphasis on partisan games from here on in and more emphasis on trying to resolve all of the above?
February 8th, 2009
In 1800, our second president, Federalist John Adams, ceded leadership of this country to Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican party.
It was the first peaceful transition of power between two competing parties, a transition without historical precedent.
A couple of hundred years later, ours is now a tradition steeped in the peaceful transition of power. It’s our default mode, our factory setting.
In watching today’s inaugural, it was impossible to not be struck by the presence of every living former president and first lady – both parties – every living former vice president – both parties – and current leaders of every branch of government – both parties. It’s impossible to not be struck with what a difficult exercise it must have been for John McCain, for George Bush. Yet they were there to represent the consent of the governed to the results of this election.
Tomorrow, the conversation of democracy will continue with conviction (and possibly a rude word or two). But today… today is the day we can revel in the inexorable fact that – like the election result or not – we all believe in this democracy.
And that is no small thing.
January 20th, 2009
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