One of the critical lessons from the debt ceiling debacle is not to underestimate the Tea Party's influence on Washington policymakers.
But perhaps even more alarming was the strikingly willful disdain many Tea Party activists demonstrated towards some of the rationally indisputable facts at the center of the policy debate.
I saw this phenomenon firsthand on the virtual pages of this very website. Last week, frustrated by my failure to find my teenage daughter a simple explanation of the budget crisis online, I decided to pen one myself. My column, Debt Ceiling for Dummies, was an attempt to provide a dispassionate, non-partisan guide to the sometimes archaic, and often complex, subject matter associated with the credit default debate. As a former state Treasurer and CFO, I hoped to share what I've learned from a myriad of experiences dealing with concepts like debt limits and credit ratings.
But as is far too typical in today's blogosphere, my article provoked an avalanche of bitter invective in the comments section of this site, my own blog, and even my personal Facebook page. I was called a "liar," a "fraud," even an intimate of the international conspiracy to fool real Americans and rob them of their hard-earned savings.
My more than two decades of politics taught me not to take any of the criticism personally. But it's hard not to be flustered when a not-so-insignificant segment of the body politic refuses to accept the incontrovertible fact that lifting the debt ceiling honors the debts we've already incurred through our prior spending, and does not require higher levels of future spending or borrowing. Or that the inevitable U.S. credit downgrade that would result from a failure to lift the ceiling would inarguably worsen our national debt problems by dramatically increasing the cost of borrowing.
While I sincerely respect the opinions of others and appreciate a healthy policy debate, facts are facts. And when some misinformed Tea Partier offers an irrelevant and illogical comparison to their personal finances, or repeats a convoluted conspiracy theory they've read online, I just want to go all Jack Nicholson on them and shout, "You can't handle the truth!"
Fortunately, my better angels intervene to remind me why so many Americans sincerely refuse to accept the widely-embraced truths that underlie critical matters of national policy. Some of it is due to the prevalent cultural disbelief of elites that always intensifies during periods of economic discontent. Much of it results from the digital age's empowerment of extreme and often disingenuous voices that pollute cable TV and the blogosphere with misleading data and narratives, often paid for by those who profit from a confused and polarized populace. (See, e.g., the oil industry and climate change.) Worst of all is the fact that Americans have been lied to, time and time again, by politicians, consultants, and media screaming heads who've cynically employed spin and deceit to win elections or earn higher ratings.
So it's not hard to understand that, when confronted by two policy choices, why the average Tea Partier -- particularly those that worship at the altar of Ayn Randian, self-interested objectivism -- will choose the easier, more selfish path (Lower taxes! Fewer environmental regulations!) and dismiss those facts that contradict them.
I'm afraid I don't have an easy prescription to persuade Tea Partiers to understand or even listen to me on critical policy matters. Civil debate is impossible when the two sides cannot agree to a mutually accepted set of facts.
But there is hope. And there are concrete steps you can take today to reduce the influence of the misinformed on our political system:
Dilute their Voice by Raising Yours
The Tea Party has been remarkably effective over the past 18 months in influencing public policy precisely because they have been so vocal. Too many of the rest of us have sat on our hands and shaken our heads in disgust. You can make a real difference by making your own voice heard: Attend the next political town hall meeting in your community -- so that your sane voice gets more air time than destructive extremism. Communicate with your elected representatives, using all of the new technologies of our social media. Vote.
Enhance Your Power by Joining with Others
A broad majority of Americans really do support rational compromise and bipartisan action. Unfortunately, there have been few successful organizations able to capture the passion of those of us who are frustrated by the hyper-partisan, polarized status quo. Several promising new movements are emerging in this season of discontent, however, including one I helped to found: No Labels, which unites Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who understand that we need to put aside our labels at times to do what is right for our country. Find an organization that reflects your perspective, and then encourage your friends and neighbors to join you.
Teach Your Children Well
We may never develop a satisfactory political system as long as the current generation remains in power. Good news, however, lies on the immediate horizon: American's youngest generation, the Millennials, are coming of age and stand poised to lead the country toward a promising, post-partisan future. Schooled in the compassionate, communitarian lessons drawn from the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, our young people get it: They understand instinctively the trans-religious moral notion to love your neighbor as yourself. It is critical for us, their parents and grandparents, to empower them with the tools they need to transform the political system when they assume leadership: Promote civic education in your kids' schools. Encourage political discussions around the dinner table. Take a beloved young person with you when you vote, attend town hall meetings, and participate in a campaign rallies.
It is a natural human instinct to withdraw from a debate -- or even from politics in general -- when you become too frustrated with the obstinance and intransigence of a small but vocal minority. The problem is that, when you do, they win. That's why it's critical for you to engage, and bring along your friends, neighbors, and especially, your children. Together, we can overwhelm the forces that almost brought our economy to its knees over the past few weeks.
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The left genuinely wants "what's good for everybody (including the right)" while the right wants what's good only for themselves, and even further, wants to harm the left. It's draw/lose for the left and draw/win for the right. It's important to know one's adversary, and I do believe many of us on the left need to understand that we're dealing with cannibals who wish us harm. Not only will the truth about how much death and suffering the right's policies inflict fail to deter adherence to such policies, but it actually encourages more cruelty because, again, we are dealing with reckless sadists.
Government isn't abstraction. It is made up of individuals much like a corporation is. Is it logical to think that once someone is part of the government they lose their ability to come up with solutions?
"Social problems" and "problems" - are these two different things? The government clearly is better equipped to deal with some social problems and has been successful in the past. The free market isn't just about solving problems - it's about creating and supplying a market. Was the lack of a caffeinated, carbonated beverage "a problem" that Coca-Cola and Pepsi solved? Not at all. Does the free market provide ideas and products that improve our lives, certainly - but the idea that it "solves problems" is disingenuous. The market only addresses problems where there is profit to be had.
"If you have an incentive to give a **** you are more motivated. The government will work just hard enough for you not to know they could be doing it better."
This implies that financial gain is the only possible motivating factor. By your logic, the US military should fail, since every soldier with the same rank, time in service, and family status are paid the same wage regardless of skillset and performance. (Now there is jump pay, dive pay, and other skilled based pay - but those still aren't based on performance per se.)
I know it takes work to do this, but if we don't we are seeing what the alternative is.
Unfortunately, I have not seen this. While I note that they are more open towards things like gay marriage, I really don't find them all that much more compassionate and community oriented. I hope that those Millenials I know are not representative of that generation and those you know are--but I'm not counting on it.
Those youth who aren't going to college aren't finding employment. They blame the GOP. They want to work. But when you are competing with a college grad for a min wage job, you begin to see how bad things are. These young people are the recipients of help from others and they get it. They want to pass it on, & they do so when they can.
The GOP will die if they can't recruit more young voters. Young voters are disgusted when they see their parents & grandparents constantly worried about health insurance, retirement, unemployment, etc. Young people are seeing through the GOP rhetoric; they believe that government should work for people, not corporations. They have watched the American dream collapse, & they don't like it. I find hope in that.
Our youth are fed up with the GOP saying that people are struggling because they aren't working to care for themselves. Young people work hard (in my experience and in general). This hard work isn't paying off for them. They blame the GOP.
Only a person who is eligible to vote for the candidate running for any particular office should be able to contribute either cash or in-kind to the candidate, and only up to $2,500 in any election. No PACs, no 527's, NO POLITICAL PARTIES, no other candidates or elected officials. In addition, the only persons who may be paid as campaign staff or advisors must also be eligible to vote for the candidate. No candidate or their immediate or extended family may contribute one cent to the campaign. No entity except the campaign can advertise on behalf of a candidate.
If you want real people to run for office, you will also make it illegal to publish anything about a candidate's immediate or extended family other than their relationship to the candidate unless they are speaking on the campaign trail.
This should also guarantee a much, much shorter election season which will intensely gratify most of the voting public.
Need to teach your children well because you are making them pay for choices you are making today. It is easy to spend other people's money, hard to make tough decisions, need to teach that.
I have a reasonable and fiscally well educated Representative--he has a graduate degree in economics and finance from Georgetown U--who explained clearly and rationally in several town hall meetings throughout his district why we had to rein in spending but also increase the debt ceiling and what will happen if the ceiling isn't lifted--downgrade, default, higher interest payments for everyone, stock market crash, devalued retriement accounts.
The 100 or so people in the room at the time got it. My representative had 5 town halls each attended by an average of 100 people. That gave him 500 people in his district who would allow him negotiating leeway on the debt ceiling. And about 30,000 who wouldn't.
I live in Tea Party Central--the 5th Congressional District of South Carolina. My Representative is Mick Mulvaney of "Cut, Cap and Balance" fame. He is doing exactly what his principles dictate which is representing the wishes of his constituents. He is also trying, with little success, to educate those same constituents about rational governance,
If he is unsuccessful in educating them he must bow to their wishes. He understands what representative democracy means. Which he is why he is voting "no" on any proposal which does not include Cut, Cap and Balance.
I belong to No Lables, but I am not going to abandon my representative. He is our best hope of getting these people to listen to reason.
Let us stand together against the forces that would replace compassion with war of all against all.
Peace.......
If they are challenged with facts that counter their opinions, they will kick and scream instead of admit they could possibly be wrong. And if they are wrong, then the people they have been mocking and demonizing are right. And THAT is so inconceivable they would be apoplectic.
"While our experiments focused on assessing the effectiveness of corrections, the results show that direct factual contradictions can actually strengthen ideologically grounded factual beliefs ...."
While such results can be a bit depressing, I think they serve a purpose by helping everyone understand why the backfire effect occurs. We all become overly confident in our ideology. The fact that conservatives are more resistant to factual info can motivate us to find new ways to present factual info.
I do want to note that I am in no way associated with this study and do not know the researchers. Conservatives, the researchers aren't infiltrating HuffPo! But will you believe me, my conservative friends??? :o)
I've emailed his office. After what happened today, I don't expect a response.
I'm disgusted and angry.
Now, if our president caves to the Repugs which is what the latest deal sounds like, I'm seriously thinking of not voting at all anymore. They all will be the same; just Democrats are bit more intelligent.
Sometimes volunteers moderate facebook pages for public figures. This leads to the banning of reasonable people who simply disagree with the majority. I would be surprised if a call to Brady's office doesn't help with this issue. Or not.
Good luck.