Political Dialogue: R.I.P.

The state of political dialogue in this country has reached a new low.

One need look no further than the pages (or web site) of Living Lake Country to know this is true.  Indeed, I myself have forsworn any further discussion with 2 bloggers...because, as Barney Frank stated to a LaRouche supporter at a health care town hall meeting last year, arguing with them would be like "trying to argue with a dining room table".

In this heated political environment, absolute positions are taken.  Abortion is always wrong.  A woman's right to choose abortion is inviolate.  The right to bear arms is inviolate.  The prevalence of guns in society leads to killing.  Government is the problem.  Capitalism is the problem.

Those who take these absolutist positions do not understand the nature of the world around them.  Or, understanding its nature, they simply battle for political advantage (a recent fivethirtyeight.com analysis shows that it is politically advantageous for Republicans to uniformly oppose President Obama...leading to the conclusion that their opposition has less to do with good policy than trying to win back Congressional majorities, at any cost, including cost to the nation).

Science, at its most basic level, states that the act of observiing disturbs the observed.  That is, you can measure a particle's speed, or its position, but not both simultaneously.

There is an absolute reality, or truth, to the Universe; it's just that we never get to see it.

Hence, probability and nuance enter the scene.  Probability and nuance are the enemies of simplistic banter, quick sound bites, and easy political phrasing.

The Founding Fathers hoped for an informed electorate to guide the Republic.  Indeed, there are informed persons on either side of the political divide today; one need only witness Ted Olson and David Boies standing arm-in-arm for Gay Rights in California to know that divides can be bridged.

But to do so requires thought, concentration, and the ability to listen, REALLY LISTEN, to the opposing viewpoint, without denigrating all liberals as liars or all conservatives as neanderthals.

We can transcend the politics of  loud hatred, but we must work together.  Democracy is a neverending journey, not a destination to reach nor a status quo to maintain.