Turning Back the Clock Politics

                    Robert A. Levine   4-19-12

The gridlock in Washington and the difficulty Congress has in passing significant legislation does not require intricate analysis and pontificating by pundits over its cause.

Conservative initiatives that would have Americans live in the past are the main divide between conservatives and liberals or moderates. It’s the reason conservatives want to expel moderates from the GOP whom they label as RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). The more conservative a politician is, the more he or she sees the past through rose-colored glasses and wants to move America back in time. They want to go back beyond the Great Society of Johnson, the New Deal of Roosevelt, and even measures favored by Nixon such as the EPA.

Examining conservative stances, their love affair with the past becomes readily apparent. Smaller government and lower taxes head the list. This is in disregard of globalization and the problems raised, the complexity of citizen’s lives, the need for an adequate safety net, protection against external and internal enemies, a suitable infrastructure for the nation, food, drug and environmental monitoring, safety standards for air travel and automobiles, allocating the wireless spectrum and off shore drilling, and numerous other functions of government in the modern world. Conservatives would like to shrink the federal government’s role and spending in virtually all of the above areas, except for the military.

As for lowering taxes, America’s marginal income tax rates are among the lowest they have ever been and among the lowest in the developed world. During the early 1950s through 1963, the marginal tax rate was above 90%, and as recently as 1979 it was 70%. In moving the nation back past the New Deal, conservatives would probably be happy with the income tax rate of 7% that was in place in 1913.
And conservatives want government to be less intrusive in people’s lives, except when it comes to hot-button issues of importance to them, such as a woman’s right to choose and same-sex marriage. This really has to do with religious beliefs and government should not be involved in regulating these areas. However, many conservatives would like the wall between government and religion to be torn down and for policy to be concordant with religious practices. Perhaps they would feel more comfortable in the Massachusetts’ colony in the 17^th century, when religion and government walked hand in hand, controlling people’s lives.
Conservatives also do not think contraceptive coverage should be an expected part of health insurance since this could lead (God forbid) to women’s sexual freedom and possibly sexual relationships outside of marriage. Better that America should go back past the 1960s, before oral contraceptives became widely accepted and state laws banning the sale and use of contraceptives were overturned by the Supreme Court. And conservatives believe a woman’s place is still in the home with the man as the breadwinner for the family, with no need for equal pay for equal work laws.

There’s also the “old West” model of society that conservatives promote; every citizen packing guns and standing their ground against whomever they see as miscreants. There’s no acknowledging the danger of weapons in an overwhelmingly urban nation and that weapons should be limited to hunting, sport shooting or home protection.

Their rejection of scientific information take us back in time as well, with an unwillingness to accept evolution, the “big bang” theory or global warming, and a desire to teach non-science in the classroom.
In addition, conservatives are suspicious of America being corrupted by foreign influences. This may be one of the reasons for their adamant opposition to sensible immigration reform, besides the economic grounds and possible racism. The overwhelmingly WASP nation that existed around the time of the revolution would probably fit the bill for them.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is currently dominated by conservatives who hold many of the above views and would like to take America back to a simpler and more freewheeling time of robber barons and gunslingers.

If conservative ideology becomes more ascendant in the future, America will indeed be returned to a previous era, its stature in the world eroded, economic inequality heightened, and the gains women have made rolled back. Perhaps if the electorate truly understood how conservative policies would change the nation, America might remain in the present with a brighter future.

Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com

The Swing Vote

The Swing Vote
            Robert A. Levine  3-26-12

The Swing Vote is the title of a recent book by Linda Killian that laments the lack of power independents have in Washington and their impotence in determining government policy. It is a strong affirmation of the need for independents to get involved in politics to bring about change. The percentage of Americans who self-label themselves as independents already constitutes the largest political bloc and is continuing to grow as more and more citizens are turned off by the partisanship of the Republicans and Democrats, and their inability to get things done.

 Members of Congress and Senators are increasingly from the far fringes of their parties and unwilling to compromise on needed legislation to move the country forward. This polarization has made Congress an ineffective body with public approval ratings in the single digits, their lowest levels ever. Moderates from both parties are either retiring in disgust at their inability to legislate and the lack of comity, or because they were defeated in general elections or primaries by more partisan candidates. Centrist politicians and voters from both parties bemoan their lack of input in the political process and the way ideological gridlock in Washington is damaging the economy and the nation’s future prospects.

In addition to the usual published sources, Killian wrote The Swing Vote after interviewing independent voters as well as officeholders and politicians from both parties. She focused particularly on those who were independents and centrists, capturing their frustration in bringing the two parties together to generate solutions to the nation’s problems, such as the national debt and budget deficits, tax policy and entitlement spending. Along with many others, she perceives the ascendancy of extreme partisanship as being caused by the redistricting process and gerrymandering, voter registration and voter rules that exclude many citizens, and the dominance of the special interests in campaign financing.

Killian sees change coming only if more independents are willing to become involved in politics, demanding more transparency from public officials, obtaining election reform, more equitable redistricting, and campaign finance reform. She does not mention the formation of a centrist third party to unify independents and centrists, to give them a strong voice in reform efforts, which I believe is necessary to effect change. Killian is an intelligent writer who makes her points cogently and concisely. The Swing Vote is recommended reading for anyone interested in politics, and the role of centrists and independents in changing the political dynamic.

Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com

Motivating and Mobilizing the Moderate Middle
                                    Robert A. Levine   12-20-11   
        
            “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”
            Tom Paine, Common Sense  
       
The government of the United States is being held hostage by extreme elements in America’s two political parties, whose members refuse to compromise on matters of critical importance to the nation.(The grudging year-end passage of some legislation is inconsequential.) Though the Republicans may be more responsible for the inability of Congress to get things done, both parties have contributed to the toxic environment in Washington. This has made it impossible to appropriately address the economic downturn, high unemployment, the budget deficits and national debt, among other issues. And the demonization of adversaries and lack of civility between members of the opposing parties obstructs any dialogue, with an unwillingness to understand the viewpoints on the other side of the aisle. Of course, the longer this stalemate goes on, the more damage will be wrought on the economy, America’s standing in the world and citizens’ psychological state.

 Can the status quo be changed to allow government to start functioning again? The answer is yes, if the moderate middle can be mobilized, since partisans in the Republican and Democratic parties appear incapable of working together in the nation’s interest. Mobilizing the moderate middle sounds like an advertisement from a fitness center, suggesting an exercise program to help reduce an unwanted bulge around people’s mid-sections. However, the moderate middle is also a large bulge in the nation’s electorate, mostly inert, men and women who tend to be a bit lazy and apathetic from a political standpoint. Well, America needs them to get off their butts and be involved in the political process to help get the country back on track.

 Various polls in the last two decades have estimated that self-described moderates comprise 35% to 43% of the populace. (However, many of those who call themselves conservatives are actually moderate on many issues and label themselves conservative because it is currently in favor.) There is little question that moderate Republicans, centrist Democrats and independents (the moderate middle) have the power to decide national, statewide and many local elections if they play an active role. But how can they be motivated to become involved.

At present, disgust with the nation’s political parties is almost palpable. Most of the moderate middle certainly realizes that America is in trouble and that neither the Republicans nor Democrats are providing solutions. If moderates believe that their participation in the political process can be meaningful and that they can make a difference in turning the country around, they will be more willing become engaged.

A cause the moderate middle could rally around is a centrist third party dedicated to ethical conduct, transparency and pragmatism. Not tied to rigid ideology nor connected to special interests, this party would take a practical approach to the nation’s problems. Funding for the party could be obtained from small donors over the Internet, rather than from special interests, and it could be organized through the Internet as well. Soccer moms, college students, retired seniors, minorities and the general population could all find common ground in bringing this new entity to fruition. And the enthusiasm of the party’s supporters would have a multiplier effect as they convinced new people to join, all knowing they were participating in the transformation of America’s political system. No Labels and Americans Elect are a start in the right direction, recognizing the frustration of the moderate middle in being able to alter the political dynamic. But these two organizations do not go far enough to bring about change.

There is nothing in the Constitution or Federalist Papers that mandates two parties for America. The current duopoly of power has failed the nation and it is time for a centrist third party to restore effective government. The power to change things lies in the hands of a motivated moderate middle that participates in the political process.

Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com