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miércoles, diciembre 15, 2010

Un llamado a la racionalidad

Al discurrir sobre un artículo que expone supuestos beneficios de las actividades políticas del denominado Tea Party, Andrew Sullivan, que se define como un conservador, reclama la postura displicente de muchos integrantes o simpatizantes de dicho movimiento, que ha facilitado, entre otras cosas, la entronización de charlatanes mediáticos carentes de argumentos (pero dotados de poderosos y opacos patrocinadores) en celebridades cuyas "reflexiones" influyen en la conducta cívica de los ciudadanos más ingenuos y desinformados propiciando, ya desde nuestro punto de vista, la vulgarización de la discusión de los asuntos públicos en Estados Unidos, incluyendo los que tienen repercusiones más allá de las fronteras de dicho país, con el resultado final de que más que un intercambio dialéctico de argumentos el ágora estadounidense parezca una irracional batalla de lanzamiento de trastos provocada por marionetas escandalosas que dificilmente representan el sentir ciudadano: 
I don't disagree, which is why I have found the last eighteen months highly uncomfortable. I have long thought that the problem with conservatism in the last decade was that it wasn't conservative enough in its free-spending, country-invading, tax-cutting, prisoner-torturing binge. But when an epic recession hits, that's the one time you ease up a little on fiscal tightness. And the bitter partisanship and cultural warfare and religious extremism that the grass roots feed off simply leave me cold if not alarmed.
But isn't the solution criticizing the failed record of the political establishment and calling out charlatans like Glenn Beck? Isn't the answer to take necessary short-term steps to grapple with the recession, while forging a real compromise on taxes and spending for the long term in the next two years? That's the realistic standard for the Tea Party and, for me, a litmus test for their success. Do they bend the entitlement and defense spending curve sharply downward over the next two decades in what will require a compromise with Obama on such a path?
Do they not yet realize that their future now relies not on demonizing Obama but reaching out to him? The voters are very clear: they want cooperation and compromise. Whoever gets there first will keep more of her principles than the late-comer.

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