An amazing thing happened today in Baltimore, maybe the most important political development of my adulthood. The House Republican caucus invited the President to come to a discussion with them, including a Q and A session. He accepted, and he asked that CSPAN be allowed to televise it.
This is what happened.
First, it was an absolute master class in politics by the President. Ideology aside, he masterfully handled even the toughest questions, and embarrassed those who tried to fake the funk, especially Jeb Hensarling, who he continually called “Jim.”
Second, this may have been the most important political exchange in my lifetime. A real, off-the-cuff discussion, unscripted for the most part, between a Democratic President and a Republican Caucus. Of particular note were the respectful exchanges between Obama and Reps. Chaffetz, Roskam & Ryan. It should be a regular occurrence between the President and all four caucuses. Republican ideas had the opportunity to be aired today, including some very good ones — line-item veto, Medicare vouchers, FTAs. And the President offered the areas in which he has accepted Republican ideas. (He wasn’t completely honest or forthright on all of those points, but on some he truly was.) When the GOP tried to score political points, he embarrassed them. When they talked real policy, he had no choice but to accept the premise. It wasn’t all great for the GOP but it was a good day for America.
Hopefully, what emerges from this exchange is an understanding of the idea by both sides that every issue is more complicated than the purist ideologues on either side would like it to be, and that nothing will ever get done without both sides giving something up to get something they want. That’s a campaign-killing statement to make if you’re a candidate, but it is the truth. Obama made the case for that today and overall acquitted himself much better than the GOP House Caucus, even though I’m more apt to side with their ideas.
I’m very interested to see what comes of this. MSNBC will try to polarize it tonight when that re-air it with commentary from their hosts. (Let’s put to bed the idea that Fox is biased but somehow MSNBC isn’t. They both are.) If more is made of the ‘smackdown’ aspect of this, none of us will benefit. If more is made of the huge value in this kind of democracy, we will all benefit.
A fascinating and historic day.
{ 4 comments }
I agree Dave and I only hope that airing this discussion publicly will cause all of them to watch it and understand how it looks to us. Any CEO can pick his/her own team, but the President is stuck with the House and Senate leadership he/she inherits.
I don’t want to put the President on too much of a pedestal, either, because his administration has been part of the problem. But he did a good job of explaining himself today, no doubt. I don’t agree with most of his choices or tactics, but I bet he sounded very reasonable to the average American today.
MSNBC and Fox are not even in the same league of bias. MSNBC’s flagship shows, Countdown and Maddow, are clearly “biased”, to use your term. But MSNBC is not a pseudo-propaganda machine like Fox is. For example, watch how Maddow routinely tears the holy hell out of Obama. Fox News is one part propaganda and one part echo chamber; it’s not a news source, and it’s not a part of the media. That people continue to argue that Fox News is somehow justifiably a news source because MSNBC is biased is a keen sign that the speaker, and the nation, lacks critical reasoning skills.
“For example, watch how Maddow routinely tears the holy hell out of Obama.”
Maddow ripping Obama from the left is different from Glenn Beck ripping the Republican establishment how exactly?
Both networks have some quality news coverage and a lot of slanted analysis. Neither are ‘legitimate’ news sources. Anyone who justifies one over the other simply proves where they sit on the political spectrum.
And by the way, critical reasoning skills should be what you employ any time you take in a news story.
Comments on this entry are closed.