A Profound Lack of Leadership

Hello friends. Sorry it has been so long.

I just finished watching American Experience on KQED. You may recall from previous posts that I am a big fan of public media, though I watch PBS infrequently. Much more of a public radio person.

But tonight's episode is the final one of "A House Divided," about Lincoln's final 6 months of life. The passage of the 13th Amendment. The end of the Civil War. And then, merely four days later, assassination. Horrible. I cried, which should come as no great shock to those who know me.

Lincoln was a great president. One of character, deep abiding principle, and tenacity. He fought for what he believed in. He managed incredible division across the country during our most trying time. And he fundamentally changed our country for the better.

President Obama is a big fan of Lincoln, and I would love to say that his legacy will be viewed in future years as similarly transformative. Since those are huge shoes to fill, I would have settled for a progressive legacy at least. But based on what happened over the past few weeks, I just cannot see myself in years hence looking back on his presidency with anything but disappointment and dismay.

Of course, I'm thinking now about today's debt ceiling vote and the travesty I feel that it is. Spending cuts to hurt many if not most, tax increases for none, not even for those who can afford it. So much for sharing the pain and the social compact. I'm told they spared food stamps from the chopping block. I suppose I should be thankful for that, though that is setting the bar really, really low. And God only knows what else will be cut in the coming months.

Maybe this can still be salvaged from the depths before it's all over, but I have my doubts, because I feel that our politicians, particularly the Democrats, lack those qualities attributed to Lincoln. Principle. Responsibility. Courage. The only people who stood up for anything, misguided and wrong that they are, were those super conservative "Tea Party" Republicans. They have successfully led their constituents down the primrose path towards what I (along with Paul Krugman, someone far more qualified) fear will be further economic disaster, and at the end, middle class America will be sacrificed on the altar of big business.

Throughout all this, Democrats stood for very little. They were the party of "No, please, no..." and never made a case for themselves and their viewpoint. They rolled over. President Obama asked us to tweet our disapproval to Congress. How's that for leadership?

So tonight, I am left feeling that people I thought cared about what I care about are pathetic and spineless and are undeserving of my political devotion. They didn't try hard enough to convince people that they were right. And so, we will have to deal with the consequences of truly misguided policy that will result in a wider gap between rich and poor for years and years to come.

America's house is divided. But unlike in 1865, we do not have a President who will stand up and do what is right. It is a sad, sad day, not only for progressives, but for everyone.

Remember Your Source

I have to admit. In 2010, I was an angry voter. I still am angry, but more than angry, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the members of the party to which I belong that don't have the guts to stand up for themselves, much less for those who are most vulnerable and need their help. I'm disappointed in the useless, mindless banter that brings no clarity to the real issues. And finally, I'm disappointed in the violent - yes, violent - political rhetoric that demonizes the other side and constantly challenges the patriotism of the opposition, serving to anger and provoke, not challenge and engage.

Those three of you know that I work for public media because I feel it is the only source of information that doesn't make me want to turn off and tune out. I listen exclusively to NPR not because it affirms my worldview, contrary to popular perception, but because it makes me think, it helps me learn, and it doesn't resort to name-calling or hate-mongering. It's just better.

But back to my disappointment.

There's a lot of chatter today about Sarah Palin's aggressive denunciation not of the shooter in Arizona and the hateful politics of which many people have accused her in its aftermath, but of those who have placed blame on her for her mean-spirited politicking. "Don't look to me. Each person is responsible for his or her actions alone - no one made him do it."

What's interesting about her video is that at no point in those seven minutes does she take a moment to reflect on the fact that tons of people are blaming her and her "movement" for an atmosphere that leads to violence. She's accurate in saying that politics is always dirty. But instead of using her position as a person of authority with a strong and loyal following to change some attitudes about how we interact with each other, about political discourse and what it could be, she does nothing more than cement the viewpoint of her base in a selfish, stubborn way. Instead of taking responsibility for moving the country in a better, more united, more enlightened direction, she takes none and plans to change nothing.

Did I expect something more? Maybe. Because deep down underneath all the cynicism I now possess, I harbor a hope that things could get better someday, that it won't always be like this, because the majority of people really are looking for more from their leaders than the mindless dribble they regularly give us.

Sadly, with each passing day, my hope and faith in America and Americans dwindles. Congress is trying once again to strip government funding from NPR, PBS, and other public media. They seem to think the right thing to do is to silence the one reliable source of thoughtful, engaging information, apparently not seeing that public media is the one place an American can go to escape the hate.

I'll just close with saying this. I too have been looking for answers in light of the Arizona shootings. I have been looking for guidance and trying to understand how to prevent things like this from happening in the future. What I have found is a lot of intelligent debate and discussion, along with lots of finger-pointing. Perhaps we can all take a minute to think about what we can learn from this. Just remember to check your sources. Some help you learn and will make you better- others won't.