Now Scarborough is also starting a ridiculously named political organization “No Labels”.
…MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and his deeply boring centrist friends—New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sen.Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Sen. Joe Lieberman, (I-Conn.), former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn), … [nods off]—are launching a “new national group dedicated to restoring civility in politics.” Swoon! They had me at “Lieberman”!
via Joe Scarborough Is Launching the Most Boring Political Movement of All Time.
This is bullshit. Politics are more than civil enough. Much more civil than when Burr shot Hamilton to death. Or when the Suffragists were fighting for a woman’s right to vote. Or when four little girls were blown up in Birmingham. This is far from one of the most uncivil eras in American politics.
In addition, how about the insults thrown around in the deliberative bodies of other Democracies of our lifetimes? Question time anyone? Below is a video playlist of the fist fights we don’t see in the US Senate or House of Representatives but occur in democracies around the world.
US politics are definitely more civil than they used to be and just as if not more civil than politics around the world. Doesn’t seem like civility is our problem.
What they are really selling is a political movement that promises nothing except promote niceties between rivals. As far as substantial political goals? None are outlined. As far as what compromises occur from this bipartisan arrangement? None are outlined. Agree to be civil first. Determine substance later.
It’s like buying an automobile sight unseen and letting the salesman fill in the sale price after you sign the dotted line. You don’t know what kind of car you’re getting and how much it will cost you, but aren’t you glad the salesman was a real gent and you didn’t have to bother with any price tags? No sane person would do that. Labels are part of the deal. The make and model, the price tag, They build a framework for the transaction between the voter and candidates who later become constituents and elected officials. (I am an A, B and C so you can expect me to do X, Y and Z if you vote for me).
I am not more inclined to gravitate towards a serial centrist like Evan Bayh because he is friendly with people who may disagree with him and doesn’t call Republicans names. I believe Bloomberg’s changing of party membership is born of political expediency and shrewd strategy and not some integrity driven statement of new principle or exhausting with partisanship. I also think Scarborough’s belief that the federal government should be
“agnostic” on social issues may be expressed in a friendly manner, but is a view that is near as radical as Rand Paul’s view of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
People of different political minds work, live and play together all the time in all walks of life inside and outside statehouses around our country. We can manage being civil well enough. What we need is a government that is productive. With a super majority being required for cloture in the senate, a productive congressional session quite often becomes an impossibility. Let’s get rid of the filibuster rules that make 41 more powerful than 59. This liberal would rather keep the labels.
UPDATE:
title was formerly “Buy without No Price Tag”
