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People on the right are furious. People on the left are livid. And the center isn't holding. There is only one thing on which almost everyone agrees: there is something very wrong in Washington.
The country is being run by pollsters. Few politicians are able to win the voter's trust. Blame abounds and personal responsibility is nowhere to be found. There is a cynicism in Washington that appalls those in every state, red or blue. The question is: Why? The more urgent question is: What can be done about it?
- Joe Klein
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Q. What is wrong with poll-driven sound-bite democracy? Aren't these things just a natural part of our environment today? Polls are a fast and probably accurate way to find out what voters are thinking, and a good way to let our leaders know what people are up to. Of course politicians have to use marketing techniques. How else are they going to get elected?
A. When leaders are controlled by polls, that destroys leadership. Plus, polls are a clipped and far too limited way for the voters to express their thoughts. And sound-bites can be completely misleading. Issues today are complex. When we insist that they be over-simplified, we often ignore essential details -- and that can lead to bad decisions. And all of this contributes to the sense shared by many voters -- that the politicians are doing a marketing dance with no integrity -- they are triangulating everything, and never speaking from the heart -- OR from their deepest knowledge and skill.
Q. What is the difference between "argument" and "dialogue"? Aren't we supposed to discuss things in a spirited way? Strong discussion is an American tradition.
A. When Sen McCain talks about an "Argument among friends" and says "it is necessary that we ... fight among ourselves for the things we believe in", he is probably taking us in a good direction. But his statement doesn't go far enough. In the USA today, we don't need to make our critical decisions on the basis of a "fight", and on the various marketing strategies and manipulations that it takes to "win" that fight. What we need is excellent and wise and informed collective decision-making. "Fighting" -- particularly in a marketing context -- is not the way to make the best decisions for our society. When politicians fight among themselves to "win", too often the American people lose.