Highlights at Organizing for America

Though Obama’s State of the Union Address on January 27 got all the hype, his Q & A session with House Republicans two days later was much more informative and constructive.

The President “entered the lion’s den” willing to listen, but resolved to cut through blame-game bullshit. Obama took responsibility for what he felt were legitimate criticisms. But he chastised representatives for making false claims and self-aggrandizing in what was meant to be an earnest dialogue.

The lesson of the evening? Change the tone of American politics.

Mr. Obama called for an end to “slash and burn” rhetoric that demonizes either party.

“[Republicans] have given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion because you’ve been telling your constituents that ‘[Obama] is doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.’ And this is not just on your side, by the way.”

It was a point that I’d never considered. Unfortunately, the media and citizens reward political figures who trade ethics for popularity points with news coverage and votes. We’re responsible for propagating a “win at all costs” politics.

But the ends never fully justify the means.

Resorting to “us versus them” tactics makes enemies out of compatriots. It requires an emotional aversion toward what we perceive as the “other.” And once people feel a certain way, it’s very difficult to deconstruct those feelings. Emotions unchecked by rationality are primitive and they trap us into black and white thinking.

However, major societal issues are complex and nuanced. They’re shades of gray. Those who only see black and white aren’t equipped to deal with reality. But when their politician gets into power, they hold her/him hostage to the hard-line principles that s/he used to unite them against the other side.

Politicians today wind up with tied hands. If they concede too much, they don’t get re-elected. Too little and they don’t get anything done. And though our leaders put themselves in this position, it’s important to remember that someone else ties the knot. That somebody is we, the people.

Only the public has the power to restore American politics. We must demand that our politicians and press act according to higher standards of decency and ethics. And we must punish those who seek to pit us against one another for their personal political gain by voting against them.

In order to rebuild trust in one another, these actions have to be taken on both sides of the aisle. A political ceasefire. Only then can we act as a united front and begin to untangle our most troubling issues.