Comments on: Forming A More Perfect Union

By: Parker

Parker — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:05:44 +0000

Two years after the original posting, we don’t seem to have made much progress toward national unity. Three of my grown children are liberals, but, even though I try hard, I must confess I don’t understand them. When an issue comes up, it seems their response goes to some other, unrelated area. My mind tries to go to “What WILL work?”, but the closest I can get from them is usually “What SHOULD work?” Is that familiar to anyone.

I must take issue with Robert’s comment above. While we certainly should not disrespect other persons, we cannot truly respect their opinions and beliefs unless we ourselves find merit and/or truth in them. To do otherwise is hypocritical and foolish.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:02:31 +0000

Hi Phil – I did not check the date until after I had read the comments. So pertinent even after two years! I recall then the strange feeling that overtook Americans (and us outside of the US) of a new way of doing things. Alas, Obama did not even have two years to try to build an administration on consensus as the Democrats, Republicans, then the right-wing then left-wing pundits all started chipping away at the idea of a more perfect union for the politics of Now (scoring points, positioning for one’s next election, spreading fear and innuendo).

Listening is so difficult, especially when someone puts a microphone in front of you. Even when a politician holds a town hall meeting to “listen to the people”, nobody seems to be listening. We need to change that. It doesn’t take a Democrat or a Republican – it takes everyone of all stripes. Maybe the American Family (all 350 million) needs to sit at the table for a real Thanksgiving Dinner.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:14:09 +0000

thank you for trying to make the peace between both sides of the isle… I would ask anyone reading this to respect opinions and beliefs of others.

By: Phil Fox Rose

Phil Fox Rose — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:18:15 +0000

Thank you all for your comments so far. It’s OK that some of the comments are partisan. What I am suggesting, though, is not that we agree on who’s right. What I’m suggesting is that the conversation isn’t useful unless BOTH sides are open. I say that NEITHER side has the higher ground on being open-minded. A left-winger is just as likely to be echoing what they heard on Olbermann as a right-winger is Limbaugh. This is a condemnation of neither but an observation of reality. Most people don’t dig deeper, and most people don’t open themselves to the possibility that they could be wrong.

And it’s also possible that someone on either side is a good, decent person who has thought long and hard, read many opinions, and arrived at their view on their own. If it is impossible for you to believe that a person can arrive at the view they hold while remaining a good person who is trying to do the right thing, then you shouldn’t be having a conversation, because you’ve already demonized them.

My challenge in the article is that we all try to approach political discussion with an open mind, especially (but not exclusively) when the person with the opposing view is a loved one. And that if both sides can’t do that, we refrain from it. (Happy New Year!)

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:27:06 +0000

Jim – I like how you start out talking about how “open” you liberals are about being “willing to consider other points of view” and then you end with a quote that basically says conservatives are too foolish to bother having a discussion with. How very ironic and telling.

Kat – you hit it right on.

By: Kat

Kat — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:52 +0000

We had a particularly brutal Thanksgiving, instigated by the bellicose liberals present. I find that that what jim says is true—liberals generally pride themselves on their openness and willingness to consider other points of view. As a conservative, I can assure you that this pride is absurd, as the much vaunted openness and tolerance ends abruptly with the introduction of conservative ideas. (“I’m open to your ideas, as long as you agree with me” doesn’t really count for openness and tolerance, does it?) When challenged and bereft of any answers, a liberal will often snarl, “Where did you get that? Fox? Limbaugh?” rather than actually addressing the topic or question at hand. This accusation is especially pathetic when I don’t even know what Fox or Limbaugh has to say about the matter. I actually haven’t found an open-minded liberal yet (independents are another story), our current radically leftist president included. Needless to say, at Christmas my husband and I plan to ban political discussion. We can always meet separately for that if the guests are so inclined. Christmas is too precious to waste on something we can do every other day of the year.

I’m with John H re: Obama. Partisanship is at its zenith now. How anyone could believe that the senator with the most liberal voting record could suddenly become a champion of bipartisanship is a mystery to me.

By: jim

jim — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:13:24 +0000

Liberals generally pride themselves on their openness and willingness to consider other points of view. There are entire colleges devoted to the study of “Liberal” Arts. Since there really is no “Conservative” philosophy-no colleges are devoted to the study of “Conservative” Arts-there can be no middle ground because the two are not opposites on the same spectrum. The common understanding of conservative is just a list of talking points that allows no dissent-Obama is bad-Sarah Palin is good. There are some intelligent Republicans, who will probably convert to the Democratic party. But there are few on the Right who even want to fairly engage in any meaningful way. As Lincoln put it-never argue with a fool-onlookers may not be able to tell who is who.

By: John Hechtlinger

John Hechtlinger — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:29:59 +0000

Regarding your statement: “I hope and believe that compassionate Republicans, Democrats and Independents will find in the years ahead a hospitable climate to grow and thrive”….on the basis of what do you hold this belief? The climate seems to be deteriorating with every passing day as the partisan divide continues to widen, not decrease. Yes, Obama campaigned on a promise to usher in a new era of bipartisanship but his view of bipartisanship is a peculiar one. He will politely consider alternative conservative/Republican ideas, he will reject them in their entirety, and then he will wield the power of the Democratic majority to ram through his ideological agenda. Or so it seems. This is not what he promised to do in his campaign. But then if people had any idea this is what he planned to do he never would have been elected. If you believe the ends justify the means then this shouldn’t trouble you. It bothers me.