'The Second Civil War' by Ronald Brownstein »
Posted By deathray 11 months, 1 week ago in Arts & EntertainmentKen Mehlman, campaign manager for George W. Bush in 2004 and chairman of the Republican National Committee for part of Bush's second term, calls this "the age of hyperpartisanship," in which almost every force related to our political life "operates as an integrated machine to push the parties apart and to sharpen the disagreements i
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deathray
Hm...summarizing a life...Investment banker, sailor, unintentional gourmet cook. Ex US Naval officer, also Foreign Service. Split my time between NYC and Miami Beach ...
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deathray11 months, 1 week ago
Wielding a catchphrase lifted from Ken Mehlman, campaign manager for George W. Bush in 2004 and chairman of the Republican National Committee for part of Bush's second term, Brownstein calls this "the age of hyperpartisanship," in which almost every force related to our political life "operates as an integrated machine to push the parties apart and to sharpen the disagreements in American life."
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scriblerus111 months, 1 week ago
I don't buy Brownstein's thesis. The polarization is not between the Left and the Right, but between the Center and the Right. The Left no longer exists as a viable political force because of the concerted effort by the Right to destroy the Left with its expensive propaganda machine. Perhaps the most effective component of this propaganda machine is the fact that the Left is no longer defined by the Left, but by the Right. The Right's propaganda machine set out to create a straw man to replace the definition of the Left in the public mind--a mind which is capable only of understanding myths and cartoon-like narratives.
If one wishes to learn about the real Left, perhaps the best source is Pacifica Radio, KPFA Berkeley, online at http://www.kpfa.org/ . At KPFA one will discover that the Left is nothing like the caracature created by the Right Wing propaganda machine.
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Klarissa11 months, 1 week ago
Unfortunately, even though it is just a review of a book, it so painfully true.
I feel that our representatives have lost sight of "the people" that they have been elected to serve. They are thinking only of their own power, and perhaps the power to give porkbarrel monies to buy votes.
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ETproductions11 months, 1 week ago
I think the hour glass exists much more within the beltway and the two parties than within "we the people". What's happened out in the heartland is that there has been a move toward the center. Both the far left and extreme right are becoming very vocal, but not so many people are listening to either song any longer.
The independents will choose who wins the White House in 08.
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cherev11 months, 1 week ago
"Both the far left and extreme right are becoming very vocal, but not so many people are listening to either song any longer."
I'm curious as to what your definition of "far left" and "extreme right" is. If you consider David Duke to be the "extreme right", most people haven't been listening for years.
"The independents will choose who wins the White House in 08."
An interesting observation. But, will it be enough?
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joeeddie11 months, 1 week ago
I think that is a tribute to the non-partisan writing style in the article. Based on this information from the article:
"Voting along party lines in George W. Bush's first term ran at 90% among House Republicans, almost 86% among House Democrats, 89% among Senate Republicans and 85% among Senate Democrats, according to a recent Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. This may be compared with levels averaging 71% or less through the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter years"
it appears that there is plenty of blame to go around to both parties for helping to drive this wedge between us, politically speaking. I also liked the reference to the political system being more polarized than the country. That was a good sumarization of what I experience in my day to day life. I often have that discussion with my Democratic friends at work. We understand and support each other as Americans and friends first, regardless of political affiliation. Now: 180 to 0
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spkguy11 months, 1 week ago
"Ken Mehlman, campaign manager for George W. Bush in 2004 and chairman of the Republican National Committee for part of Bush's second term, calls this "the age of hyperpartisanship."
He should know he helped create it, remember this?
RNC defends Ford ads, says it won't yank them
NASHVILLE - While Bob Corker has urged that one Republican National Committee TV ad be taken off the air, Harold Ford Jr. on Tuesday called on Tennessee stations to stop broadcasting another.
Federal Election Commission figures indicate the RNC is spending about $1.5 million on the two ads. A total of almost $8 million in such "independent expenditures" have now been reported in the current Tennessee U.S. Senate campaign - apparently, a record amount for Tennessee.
Continued:
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spkguy11 months, 1 week ago
Republican Senate nominee Corker says the RNC ad he has criticized is "tacky," while others contend it goes beyond that to improper racial and sexual overtones. John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor who studies political ads, called it unprecedented.
Who was the head of the RNC at the time?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1725593...
None other than Ken Mehlman!
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.3 Replies
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jovial11 months, 1 week ago
One thing you have to give the Republican party. They stick through it, right or wrong. (at least the far right side of it.) They are the main ones calling the shots as well. If one of them falls, they quickly start the damage control. Spinning stories, getting "talking points" out to the network, and attacking the antagonists. It's a concerted effort that involves the media, politicians, the whitehouse press core, and the President himself. Remember, every Republican that fell from this administration with disgrace was remembered fondly by the President and/or the Vice President as a honorable man. This includes, Rumsfeld, Attorney Gonzalez, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby. All wrongdoing is covered up meticulously and documents are never surrendered, because they use the excuse of "national security". So without the proper tools and evidence to get these guys the right-wing just thumbs their nose at the people. They know we can't do JACK!
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GWHayduke11 months, 1 week ago
Change is fundamentally difficult to accept, particularly if you are content with status quo. That is why Republicans are able to maintain their stranglehold on this country. Their constituents support inertia.
A promise of the maintenance of current scenarios and a proposition of impending doom with progression has been enough to keep the complacent in power. Yet the world continues to evolve.
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1-2-Oscar11 months, 1 week ago
How do you explain the fact that it has been the traditionally conservative element of our society that has been the driving force for some of the greatest changes we have undergone or undertaken? The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, for example, was successful because
(and ONLY because) the great middle of our society decided it was time for a new new standard of social fairness. Likewise, although radicals certainly were the first to oppose the war in Vietnam, it was only when the great middle backed the anti-war movement that political pressure forced our leaders to negotiate a way out.
It is easy to criticize the average American, but I think that too often we overlook his/her importance in shaping the solutions to controversial issues. Americans have a distinct sense of right and wrong (as opposed to right and left) and they almost always will end up on the side of right--of greater fairness, justice, and human dignity.
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Endoscopy11 months, 1 week ago
jovial
And you don't think the kind of rant you are giving here is not part of the problem?
Democrats have since the election of 2000 have been getting worse and worse with their rhetoric about Bush. I have noticed since a radio show where it was hammered home to me that both sides and especially the left will say outrageous things about the opposition and nobody on the same side thinks what they are saying is evil. That is because they think the person is just saying the simple truth. These people pile on the rhetoric until it is hard to understand why they think is is just fact.
Unless a person is a member of the kook fringe Nazi party calling anybody that is way over the edge of reason. There are many term like this. ANYBODY saying these things should hang their head in shame.
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jovial11 months, 1 week ago
I'm just stating what is. Right after the election. Bush was doing Ok. After 9-1-1 he had bipartisan support and the support of the world. It was only after he went into Iraq, everyone started saying WTF? Why are we invading Iraq? Osama Bin Laden is still out there! Then we as a country became afraid. First our WTC got attacked and now we had rumours that Saddam had WMD that could rain down on our cities within minutes. The congress backed him up. Then some people started questioning things and little bits of information got out that didn't gibe with the administration line. There was some dissent in 2000 over the election, but it wasn't really as loud as it is now due to the continuous lies and scandals. By the way, yours was a rant, not mine.
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cowboygrandpa11 months, 1 week ago
Endoscopy: How funny you try to pick on those who would state what they believe to be a Nazification of America under the current administration. Yet say nothing about those who label "liberals as communists". Don't you see you are proving the very point of this story. There is such a deep distrust from each party anymore because of the labels being applied. "You" attack me I attack you. Neither of us really wins anything except some good or bad votes here. But the damage done is exponential. For now we have our thoughts exposed and are put into certain categories even though we may not fit into that category comfortably. We are drifting off center and have go right or left. I don't want to. I prefer the center because truthfully neither the Democrats or Republicans fully represent what I believe. Combined they do apart there is always something in each party I disagree with. Whats wrong with working together as Americans not Dems and Repubs. Cont.
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AnteUp11 months, 1 week ago
jovial ~
That policy of re-habing the scum isn't engaged in by the
Republicans exclusively - Look at the PRESS! I saw Armstrong Williams participate in an MSNBC or CNN panel (ala Crossfire) discussion. Is there any reason in the world why a respectable news outlet would think I wanted to hear HIS opinion?
MSNBC breaks from covering a Bush speech from the Rose Garden a week and a half ago that they had spent half the morning saying they would be covering - "stay tuned" - ........to do an interview with Coulter!
Blitzer hypes a two-part interview with Donald Trump as if
he were a head of state. He wasn't posing business questions
- no, he wanted Trump's opinion on world affairs and the
presidential candidates! Gag me!!
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