Article from the Washington Post: Let's just say it: The Republicans are the Problem.
To be honest, in the relatively small amount of time I've actually been paying attention to politics, this does seem to be the case. Republicans have become increasingly obstructionist and hostile to any attempt at cooperation or compromise, and their stances have swung far to the right side of the fence. Democrats, of course, have also played their fair share of partisan politics, but never to the extent or solidarity as currently seen by the Republicans. Also, Dems are far more willing to compromise/cooperate, and are not nearly as Left as the 'Pubs have went Right.
I also agree with the article's main point that media shouldn't act as if two stances-- whatever they are-- have equal merit or equal responsibility just to maintain an "unbiased" persona. The fact of the matter is that often some positions are just more reasonable than others, or one group is causing more problems than another group. Pretending that both groups are equally at fault is false reporting, not "fair and balanced".
The last page further develops this point.
What are your thoughts?
the article said:We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party... "Both sides do it or There is plenty of blame to go around are the traditional refuges for an American news media intent on proving its lack of bias, while political scientists prefer generality and neutrality when discussing partisan polarization. Many self-styled bipartisan groups, in their search for common ground, propose solutions that move both sides to the center, a strategy that is simply untenable when one side is so far out of reach.
It is clear that the center of gravity in the Republican Party has shifted sharply to the right. Its once-legendary moderate and center-right legislators in the House and the Senate think Bob Michel, Mickey Edwards, John Danforth, Chuck Hagel are virtually extinct.
To be honest, in the relatively small amount of time I've actually been paying attention to politics, this does seem to be the case. Republicans have become increasingly obstructionist and hostile to any attempt at cooperation or compromise, and their stances have swung far to the right side of the fence. Democrats, of course, have also played their fair share of partisan politics, but never to the extent or solidarity as currently seen by the Republicans. Also, Dems are far more willing to compromise/cooperate, and are not nearly as Left as the 'Pubs have went Right.
I also agree with the article's main point that media shouldn't act as if two stances-- whatever they are-- have equal merit or equal responsibility just to maintain an "unbiased" persona. The fact of the matter is that often some positions are just more reasonable than others, or one group is causing more problems than another group. Pretending that both groups are equally at fault is false reporting, not "fair and balanced".
from the article said:We understand the values of mainstream journalists, including the effort to report both sides of a story. But a balanced treatment of an unbalanced phenomenon distorts reality.
The last page further develops this point.
What are your thoughts?