Where the 'No Labels' movement falls short
By E.J. Dionne Jr.
WashPost
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The "No Labels" group that held its inaugural meeting this week in the name of the political center fills me with passionate ambivalence. My attitude is moderately supportive and moderately critical - accented by a moderate touch of cynicism.
Who can disagree with a call to put aside "petty partisanship" and embrace "practical solutions"? Let's cheer the group's insistence on "fact-based discussions." Too much political talk these days is utterly disconnected from what's actually true. Fact-based always beats fantasy-based.
The No Labelers are also right to be repulsed by the replacement of real argument with a vicious brand of name-calling. When a president of the United States is attacked simultaneously as an "extreme liberal liar" and a "Nazi," there is a sick irrationality at work in our discourse.
And, heck, I'll acknowledge that in 1991 I wrote a book called "Why Americans Hate Politics" that extolled "the great American middle" as representing "the restive majority."
(More here.)
WashPost
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The "No Labels" group that held its inaugural meeting this week in the name of the political center fills me with passionate ambivalence. My attitude is moderately supportive and moderately critical - accented by a moderate touch of cynicism.
Who can disagree with a call to put aside "petty partisanship" and embrace "practical solutions"? Let's cheer the group's insistence on "fact-based discussions." Too much political talk these days is utterly disconnected from what's actually true. Fact-based always beats fantasy-based.
The No Labelers are also right to be repulsed by the replacement of real argument with a vicious brand of name-calling. When a president of the United States is attacked simultaneously as an "extreme liberal liar" and a "Nazi," there is a sick irrationality at work in our discourse.
And, heck, I'll acknowledge that in 1991 I wrote a book called "Why Americans Hate Politics" that extolled "the great American middle" as representing "the restive majority."
(More here.)
Powered by Blogger
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home