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Jewish World Review June 7, 2012/ 17 Sivan, 5772 Growing independence from both parties By Cal Thomas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In his 2007 book, "The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800," historian The latest poll from the The poll, writes The And while "Americans of different races are no more polarized in their political views than they were 25 years ago," suggests the Times, the poll indicates that "Republicans have moved farther to the right -- on economic issues, at least -- than Democrats have move to the left" and the parties "appear to have lost some of the people who were closer to the middle of the political spectrum and retained those closer to the extremes." In short, more Americans are ditching the big two political parties, leaving hardliners behind. The result? Political stagnation. So much for well-reasoned debate and consensus. So much for moving the country forward.
What appears to frustrate voters is that not enough members of either party seem capable, or interested, in solving our problems. Instead, their primary concern appears to be achieving and holding onto power and the perks of office. Democrats answer the problem of increasing debt with more debt. Republicans want to reduce the size and cost of government, but won't make meaningful cuts. The media play a major role in perpetuating the gridlock by mostly ignoring solutions, focusing instead on the political horse race and the names politicians call each other. The response from Democrats to a serious proposal for repairing health care as proposed by A major reason for government's inability -- even unwillingness -- to repair its own dysfunction is that we are still living off the inertia of government's central role during the Great Depression, and later "The Great Society" in which government presented itself as everyone's savior. Personal responsibility for one's life and accountability for wrong decisions took a back seat. "A Time for Governing: Policy Solutions from the Pages of National Affairs," a new book compiled by the quarterly journal, National Affairs, contains essays that address credible solutions to our major economic problems that nearly everyone, regardless of party affiliation, acknowledges must be solved for a stable American future. In his essay "Beyond the Welfare State," National Affairs editor Levin adds, "In our everyday experience, the bureaucratic state presents itself not as a benevolent provider and protector, but as a corpulent behemoth -- flabby, slow and expressionless, unmoved by our concerns, demanding compliance with arcane and seemingly meaningless rules as it breathes musty air in our faces and sends us to the back of the line. "Unresponsive ineptitude is not merely an annoyance. The sluggishness of the welfare state drains it of its moral force. The crushing weight of bureaucracy permits neither efficiency nor idealism. It thus robs us of a good part of the energy of democratic capitalism and encourages a corrosive cynicism that cannot help but undermine the moral aims of the social-democratic vision." Is it any wonder the public decreasingly identifies with either party and that a growing majority wishes to be "independent" of both? It will take more than the election of a new president and
JWR contributor Cal Thomas is co-author with Bob Beckel, a liberal Democratic Party strategist, of "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America". Comment by clicking here.
© 2011, Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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