South by Southwest: Dare we hope for balance?

Monday, October 16, 2006

Dare we hope for balance?

Feeling unbalanced is a little like feeling crazy. I am a Senior, a "back-sliding" Episcopalian living in a Southern "Red" state, a Gemini, and a bit of a control-freak and I have been uncomfortable with the direction of the USA since the turn of the century. And by now, there are many of us who feel that there is serious insanity out there. The nation is far too polarized and has become unbalanced politically, culturally, militarily, spiritually and fiscally.
When I think about specifics, these are the new directions and the people I connect to these issues in my own mind. When I think about leaders or people who have taught me much about rebalancing, whom do I remember? Who are the faces and voices I associate with achieving the following goals?

Democrats regain control after November elections - The Clintons. President Clinton's administration seems to have balanced the budget, achieved bipartisanship when the government was divided, advocated for community and responsibility and used his considerable intellect in the process. He continues to have heavy influence in the Democratic party and is respected around the world. Hillary Clinton has rebalanced herself politically, moving more to the center and behaving in very bipartisan ways as a Senator. She has been able to maintain her balance, also, as the 2008 presidential front-runner.
Community regains respect over individuality - Governor Howard Dean. With an originally individualistic style, Dean's presidential run was marked by grassroots participation, however. Building on that history, he has been able to rebalance the Democratic party's focus from national to more local. His goal has been to rebuild community, the basic grassroots strengths of the party, and more evenly distributing the fiscal assets around the nation. He also worked to balance fund raising with speaking out, subsuming his own strong personality a bit in the process.
Professional military regains freedom to make peace - General James L. Jones. As NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Jones has been an impressively intelligent and outspoken General while still serving in the military. Charged with the very challenging task of achieving decision consensus among NATO member countries participating in the Afghanistan conflict, he appears to be a very wise and able leader. His call is for more reconstruction, training of Afghani police, and rebuilding the Afghan justice system, emphasizing that military victory will not work by itself.
Secular regains stature over religiosity - Senator John Danforth. Noting that "it was the Terry Schaivo case" that started his speaking out about these issues of faith, Episcopal priest and former Missouri Senator Danforth has written a book entitled, "Faith and Politics: How the 'Moral Values' Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together." Episcopalians are used to being in the center, as the denomination has always been kind of a bridge between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Speaking on C-SPAN's BookTV this past weekend, Danforth - a very intelligent leader - also talked at length about "the politics of reconciliation," and the importance of the separation ofbetween church and state.
Centrists regain more more voice in debates - Representative Lee Hamilton. Currently serving as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, Lee Hamilton embodies bipartisanship, consensus-building and solution-finding. Hamilton has served in similar co-chair capacities on the "Partnership fro a Secure America," and the "9/11 Commission." Hamilton, the consumate active elder statesman, does not hesitate to speak out about what is bad for America.
U.S. budget balancers regain influence over deficit spenders - Senator Byron Dorgan. This very smart Senator currently chairs the (link=29 pg. PDF) Democratic Policy Committee that held hearings into the conduct of the Iraq war. He was reelected in 2004. In a recent (10-12-06) statement, Senator Dorgan again condemns the record trade deficit of $69.9 billion. Long interested in the U.S. economy, the senator can often be seen on the Senate floor explaining federal budget charts, sorting through complex appropriation legislation or speaking out for sanity in U.S. fiscal policies. His new bookis titled, "Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain Dead Politics are Selling Out America."