By Richard A. Joyce

Redstone review

I’m a political independent, and always have been, but I’ve known quite a few Republicans and Democrats in my time, and I’ve argued with both about various policies and positions their parties have championed, about legislation their parties have proposed and gotten signed into law, and about executive orders and other decisions presidents from their parties have made throughout the years.

One thing I learned about both parties during those arguments is that those near the political center of their parties actually are capable of bipartisan dialog and action and compromise on everything and anything facing the U.S., foreign and domestic, but those farthest from the center are not capable of any form of bipartisanship.

During the last few years, but in particular during the last year, the center has virtually dropped out of both parties, or at least become invisible, as those on the right of the conservative Republican Party and those on the left of the Democratic Party have squared off against each other time and time again, not debating the actual merits of anything, or even thoroughly explaining their positions on issues to the American people, but rather posturing, sloganeering and in more than a few cases attempting to bully opponents into submission through shouting, sarcastic and derogatory humor, and downright lies and propaganda.

Is it any wonder, then, that as of the end of March, Gallup reported political affiliation in this nation as: 31 percent Democrat. 28 percent Republican and 40 percent Independent. Six years ago, those numbers were 32, 36 and 30, respectively.

Now, maybe those numbers don’t indicate that Americans are losing their taste for the increased political polarization between and within the parties, but if they do, each 1 percent change indicates the migration of millions of voters away from the dominant two parties and toward a position that once might have been recognized as the center of those parties, the place where bipartisanship could and did accomplish much that has meant freedom, progress, opportunity and social justice.

Today, Independents stand frustrated with the major parties, wondering if and when those leading them will simply state their cases, with specifics and evidence to back up their suggestions, plans, proposals and criticisms, and shaking their heads as ever more vague and general statements are made in vicious attack against the other side, which responds with more of the same.

So, while everyone knows the Democrats passed a health care reform bill, I don’t think anyone knows the details of what’s in it, including some of those who voted for it; and while everyone knows that all Republicans voted against that bill, I don’t think anyone knows why, except that Republicans say we can’t afford it, and even then, I don’t think anyone knows what the exact numbers are and how we can tell if we can or can’t afford it.

What we all know is that polarizing Republicans and Democrats continue their shoot-from-the-hip gunslinging against each other, and the facts of anything be damned as far as they are concerned.

Take the recent incident between President Obama and Sarah Palin as an example of what turns this Independent away from leaning toward either party.

The president has established a new nuclear policy for the U.S. during his term. He said he has decided to make it U.S. policy that, in most cases, the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear country.

That is a “duh” statement if I ever heard one.

Is anyone anywhere stupid enough to think the Bush or Reagan or Ford or Nixon or Eisenhower administrations would have used nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear country in most cases?

If so, why didn’t those Republican presidents use them – in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, The Gulf War, the War against the Taliban in Afghanistan or the Iraq War?

Besides, it is an Obama administration policy decision. The next president can change it – and so can Obama, whenever the need arises. The reason he made the policy statement is to help take the wind out of the sails of Iran and North Korea, and of any other nations that might claim the need to develop nuclear weapons because they fear the U.S. might use such weapons against them.

Yet, Republican Party VIPs such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin jumped on the statement as if Obama had actually said: In all cases, the U.S. will never use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear nation.

Not even close.

But instead of simply explaining to news media that his newly stated policy isn’t really any different than what has, for all practical purposes, been in place under both Republican and Democratic Party administrations, but needed to be publicly affirmed to let non-nuclear nations know they don’t have to fear our nuclear weapons, Obama chose to hit Palin with a humorous barb, to wit: “Last I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues.”

Of course, she responded to that, telling thousands attending the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on April 9, that Obama’s “vast nuclear experience he acquired as a community organizer” had not helped him make progress in dealing with Iran and North Korea.

Obama was wrong to respond the way he did. Any citizen might have, out of ignorance, uttered the same words Palin did about his nuclear policy statement, and the president of the United States should know better than to engage in anything like barbed one-liners with his critics, even though the critics have misconstrued his policy, or left out the obvious fact that George Bush and Dick Cheney didn’t make any progress with North Korea and Iran, either.

I don’t presume to speak for other Independents, but as one of them, I can say I’m just plain sick of much that passes for political dialog in this country. It’s lost its sense of civility as well as any semblance of intelligent debate, two things I demand in any candidate who might want my vote or support on anything.

And if other Independents begin demanding the same of those who seek office as well as those who speak for their parties, maybe even the polarizers will be forced to change their ways.

Richard A. Joyce is associate professor in the mass communications department at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He was the managing editor of the Canon City Daily Record. The opinions he expresses in this column are strictly his own, and do not represent in any way the views of anyone else  at the Redstone Review or at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He can be reached at phase15@mac.com.

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