Politics without the Shouting

For someone who calls himself the Passionate Planner, I think you’ll agree that I’ve been very cautious on this blog.  I have not discussed politics, because I followed the advice given to salespeople, “Never discuss politics or religion.”  As I heard it years ago, you may win the argument but you’ll lose the customer.

Another reason I don’t discuss politics with my clients is because, when meeting with them, we have more important things to go over such as personal challenges, investments, estate planning, saving for college, etc.

But the latest political news is that people are shouting down elected representatives at town hall meetings when the issue of health care reform comes up, as it invariably will.  I find that extremely disturbing, because it is terribly corrosive of the democratic process. 

So here is my modest attempt to restore civility to political discussion.

Advice to liberals: Read or listen to someone who is a conservative.

Advice to conservatives: Read or listen to someone who is a liberal.

I believe that listening to someone who disagrees with you is hardly ever done.  People who tune in to Bill O’Reilly generally do not also listen to Keith Olbermann, and vice versa.  To do so would likely raise one’s blood pressure and possibly make one ill.  Because we primarily listen only to people we agree with, we essentially live in separate universes, with not only different political opinions, but different political facts.

But my advice is to start out slowly, or in small doses.  It’s just like exercise; you don’t want to overdo it at first and risk sidelining yourself to an injury. If you love Glenn Beck, do not watch the Rachel Maddow show.    Let’s be realistic.

Herein then are my humble suggestions to change the political dynamic.

If you are a conservative, it is very likely that you read the Wall Street Journal.  Buried in the op-ed page is a weekly column by Thomas Frank, who I suppose could be called the “token liberal” for the Wall Street Journal.  Read his Wednesday column for a different viewpoint.  And even if you don’t get the New York Times, I would definitely seek out the opinion of Thomas Friedman.  As my cousin Dahlia said, “Friedman is brilliant, even when he is wrong.”

If you’re a liberal, you probably read the New York Times.  I suggest that you read David Brooks, because he is the conservative liberals love.  And in my opinion, Peggy Noonan, who writes a column in the Saturday Wall Street Journal is always worth reading.

I’m sure there are many others, but we have to start someplace.  I also like the Charlie Rose show, because it is what I call a “no shouting” zone.

Finally I’d like to put in a good word for Joe Scarborough, who has a morning program called Morning Joe on MSNBC.  He certainly gets good guests.  Joe is a conservative (a libertarian, if truth be told) and though I frequently disagree with him, I find him engaging and likable.  You can see a recent interview of him on the Charlie Rose show, because Scarborough is plugging his new book.

According to Scarborough, liberals will listen to him and engage him in debate, simply because he doesn’t call President Obama a “communist” or Justice Sotomayor “a racist.”  Sad to say, that makes him unusual among some right wing TV personalities.  Truly, I wish there was more civility and less name calling.

My favorite quote of his is about his decision to live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a liberal bastion if ever there was one.  He says that he loves the Upper West Side, because little old ladies come up and hug him.  They have never met a Republican before!

Cute.

Political Movie – “The Best Man”

I recently watched “The Best Man,” a 1964 political film starring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, with Lee Tracy, Edie Adams and Ann Southern. (I guess I haven’t yet had my fill of politics on MSNBC, CNN or PBS, and with the stock market having been so calm recently, there was absolutely no reason at all to watch CNBC.)

But, I digress… the movie plot revolves around a deadlocked Democratic convention, with Fonda and Robertson playing the role of the front runners vying to secure the nomination for President.

Fonda plays a thoughtful, ethical man, with a wry sense of humor and a strong sense of what he will, and will not, do to win the nomination. His flaw is that he seems indecisive.  Robertson, on the other hand, is a decisive, almost impulsive man, who is ruthless and who will do whatever it takes to win the nomination. Think of him as a cross between Richard Nixon and Joe McCarthy. (In the movie, Robertson became famous for his hearings on whether the Mafia was controlled by the Communists.)

So, we have one candidate with a conscience and another without; one, who was so convinced that he was in the right, that he was willing to smear his opponent. They are both seeking the endorsement of the ex-president, played convincingly by Lee Tracy, who won an Oscar for his portrayal. We see the machinations of the convention, the threats and deals.

Looking back to 1964, it’s amazing (given the era) that Tracy says that we’ve had a Catholic president, and some day we will have a Jewish President, a Negro President, and (to laughter) even a Lady President. Sounds funny now, but remember, this movie is 44 years old.

Originally, The Best Man was written as a Broadway play which opened in 1960. Both the Broadway play and screen play for the movie were written by Gore Vidal, who had the right balance of insider knowledge, cynicism and optimism.

As an aside, the story goes that Ronald Reagan was considered for a role, but studio executives decided Reagan “didn’t look presidential.”

The movie is well acted, engaging and entertaining. The entire cast was very good, but Fonda and Robertson were standouts. The Best Man is worth watching if you can catch it on TV, as it’s not yet available on DVD.