Another Source of Politcal Bitterness

In this morning’s WaPo Richard Cohen writes about meeting George Tenet at a Washington dinner party. He writes about having a civil conversation, even though he had criticized Tenet in his column. He goes on to comment about the decline of civility in the Washignton establishment

Talk radio is similar. The invective, the simplicities, the need for controversy and the us-against-them nature of the format are downright dehumanizing. No one is ever merely mistaken but rather is "wrong" in a moral sort of way -- a flawed human being at best, downright evil at worst. It's all nonsense, of course. We have become a nation of B-52 bombers, hitting targets we never see. Even the after-hours camaraderie of Washington is gone. Republicans hang with Republicans, Democrats with Democrats -- and they all get out of town as fast as possible. A little bourbon would do wonders for our dysfunctional government.

The reason I started with the startling scoop that George Tenet has a mother is that too often, especially in Washington, it is easier to avoid such humanizing touches than to deal with them. Like Will Rogers, I (almost) never met a man I didn't like -- and after that, honest, rigorous criticism becomes very hard indeed. It is easier by far to turn government officials from conscientious public servants, or even just hapless human beings, into mere celebrities. But they don't make big money in their jobs (though some, of course, do later on), and they almost always work very hard. And when they screw up it often appears on the front pages of newspapers or on the nightly news. Sometimes, when things are dark and people are dying, they sit before the TV and watch what they have done -- and cry. They do, and I know this for a fact.

Radio talk-show hosts – and bloggers – have a built in reason for being controversial. It builds audiences. It is very easy to forget that we are criticizing real people.

For bloggers, it is especially important to exercise some self-restraint.

Maybe Washington’s new baseball team will give establishment members a chance to rub elbows in neutral territory. Establishing civility might be the best argument for a team in D.C.

Comments

[Dalton]

You’re on top of the game. Thanks for shanrig.