Go ahead: Blame members of Congress for their mudslinging from both sides of the aisle, or the media for choosing to make those moments the biggest headlines of political reporting. Either way you look at it, something needs to change.
And the author of Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America, Nancy L. Cohen, says she believes the women of the GOP have the power to catalyze this change, should they choose to do so. She joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani on Thursday to discuss the current political landscape and how we can collectively improve the legislative branch.
“The media certainly does contribute to it, but that’s the role of the media to report on this,” Cohen said. “And it’s the role of partisans to defend their parties, so I don’t think that politics is ‘kumbayah.’ It’s a contact sport, so we’re going to have conflict.”
Despite the natural controversies of politics in Washington, D.C., Cohen believes the people who are elected and those who vote for them share the responsibility of creating a more civil and productive environment.
“I do think that toning it down some will help,” she said. “And I do look to the voters, because Congress is a representative legislature. A number of these very inflammatory kinds of remarks are coming out of congressmen and women who are actually representing the people who put them in office. I think that one of the big solutions is more people getting involved in politics, more people voting, trying to fight against the demoralization that this congressional dysfunction creates. There are millions of people, particularly centrist women, who should stand up and take back the Republican Party.”
To hear more about how women of the GOP can help change Washington, D.C., for the better, watch the full HuffPost Live clip in the video above.
Before You Go
