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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > February > 24 > Entry
Martin Gottlieb: Tony Hall knows what Bayh is talking about
Last week, Sen. Evan Bayh, an Indiana moderate, announced he is leaving the Senate, saying he doesn’t love Congress. It’s hyper-partisan and all that.
Even before that happened, I had been wondering how Tony Hall is seeing Congress these days. He represented Dayton in Congress through the 1980s and 1990s, mainly.
He was a mainstream Democrat who was with the Republican mainstream on abortion. And he just wasn’t into the gotcha game of Congress, whereby whichever party is in power uses that power to investigate, embarrass and hassle the other.
His deep religion led him into congressional prayer groups that created strong bonds with certain Republicans, including very conservative ones.
He’s still in Washington, working on hunger and peace issues. He’s director of the Alliance to End Hunger, an umbrella group and political arm for major humanitarian organizations. He deals with Congress a lot.
His own years in Congress were not seen then as a great flowering of bipartisanship and amity. The old bipartisanship on foreign policy had long since disappeared. Newt Gingrich was on the rise, consciously fostering sharper differences between the parties.
The parties were constantly going after — and nailing — leaders like Democratic Speaker Jim Wright and Republican Gingrich on ethics charges. People were lamenting the new hostility.
And yet, Hall says that now when he goes up to “the Hill,” his old colleagues tell him it’s far worse.
“I hear it every day: It’s not the same Congress as when you were here,” he says they say.
The legislators tell him that they don’t know each other socially, and their families don’t know each other, don’t have dinner together as they used to. Everything is business. Everything is combat. Everything is party. And everything is done on the run. Hall believes part of the problem is that, more than ever, the members live away from Washington, meaning they live out of a suitcase, flying in on Monday night and home on Thursday.
Hall also laments that candidates are always chasing campaign contributions. “It seems to be all about money anymore,” he said.
But he particularly laments the lack of contact outside of business.
“You know, when you pray with somebody,” he said, “It’s hard to hate him.”
Over the weekend, Bayh had a piece in The New York Times that makes a lot of Hall’s points and more. He highlighted “gerrymandering of districts, endless filibusters … and a caucus system that promotes party unity at the expense of bipartisan consensus.”
By the latter, he means that all the members of each party meet regularly to plan strategy as a party. One can just picture the troops going out with a hand clasp and a war cry.
Whenever I write about the rigidification of Congress into close-minded blocs, I worry about being seen as one of those old guys who pines for a glorious day that never really existed. Well, what never existed — speaking as somebody who spent almost five years in Washington long ago — was a Congress that was universally beloved and embraced for its high-mindedness.
But Congress really hasn’t always been like this.
Bayh tells of a time when Senate Republican leader Everett Dirksen put his arm around the shoulder of Sen. Birch Bayh (Evan’s father), a liberal Democrat who was facing re-election, and asked what he could do to help. Totally unthinkable now.
Why? Bayh doesn’t confront one big reason: Such coziness always drove certain Republicans nuts. The party had, after all, spent decades in the congressional minority. These Republicans asked: How are we supposed to draw the sharp distinction necessary to convince people of a need for change if we’re so lovey-dovey with the other side?
So began a relentless effort to draw sharper distinctions between the parties. It had such leaders as William F. Buckley Jr., Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh.
Once upon a time, there were fair numbers of liberal Republicans and lots of conservative Democrats. That had some downsides, even from the public’s point of view. It resulted in complaints and jokes about whether there was really any difference between the parties.
But it helped keep things civil.
Today we have a system of cleanly different parties. But we haven’t learned how to work it.
The task is sharply complicated by screaming voices on television, radio and elsewhere that consciously foment polarization and make millions off it.
Meanwhile, the overall electorate pursues centrism not by supporting centrists, but by swinging back and forth between the centrist-free parties.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns, Locals in national affairs, Martin Gottlieb, Miami Valley Politics, National Politics
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By Retired Sgt
February 24, 2010 11:28 AM | Link to this
There goes Gottlieb again, blaming the Republicans for the stalemate in congress…Hey martin, could it be that the DEMOCRATS, having lost the Senate and House for the first time in 45 years (1994), started to become more party line in an attempt to regain control of the House/Senate? I seem to recall Reagen/bush 1 and GWB working with demos quite often, yet dont seem to recall that many DEMS working with Repubs (Unless of course it was in their best interests)…Your liberal slant keeps showing martin. Perhaps a more balenced OP-ED column might be in order…
By Alice
February 24, 2010 11:41 AM | Link to this
Retired Sgt: You wouldn’t be happy unless every major news org became an extension of The National Review. You don’t want honest journalism, just socially conservative talking points. Why do you continue to come to this site or take the time to comment? Go find the news you want to hear… there’s plenty of it out there on the internet.
By joe_mamma
February 24, 2010 1:40 PM | Link to this
It’s silly to think that our representatives living in their districts or at least spending a significant amount of time be a problem? They represent their voters, not each other, and not the Washington elite. I can’t help but think that a lot of the partisanship is being driven by the availability of information. Americans are more plugged into what is going on in DC than ever. Back the “civil” days that Martin longed for the public didn’t know what was in a bill unless Walter Cronkite mentioned it or until after it was passed. Personally I would rather know upfront what the boobs in DC are up to.
By joe_mamma
February 24, 2010 1:42 PM | Link to this
It’s silly to think that having our representatives live in their districts or at least having them spend a significant amount of time there would be a problem? They represent their voters, not each other, and not the Washington elite. I can’t help but think that a lot of the partisanship is being driven by the availability of information. Americans are more plugged into what is going on in DC than ever. Back the “civil” days that Martin longs for the public didn’t know what was in a bill unless Walter Cronkite mentioned it or until after it was passed. Personally I would rather know upfront what the boobs in DC are up to.
By ironmyke
February 24, 2010 4:17 PM | Link to this
Well folks, the all attack all the time mode of politics got us gridlock. How’s that working for you?
By irishguy
February 24, 2010 4:48 PM | Link to this
Same old, same old. Whenever the Dems don’t get their way it’s always “the system is broken” there’s “gridlock” or the Repub’s are being “obstructionist” The Dem’s had a 60 member Senate super majority and a similar majority in Congress, if they couldn’t pass anything it their own damn fault!
By kurt
February 24, 2010 8:39 PM | Link to this
bayh is not a moderate, and there are none, unless they are running for reelection, when push comes to shove, he voted backed up dumbama every time.
By Tony's brother was CIA, that rocks
February 24, 2010 9:02 PM | Link to this
All bow down to Saint Tony. Ordained by the DDN as the all knowing, all powerful representative extraordinare!
By Retired Sgt
February 25, 2010 7:02 AM | Link to this
Alice, I just would like to see a balence in reporting. The DDN historically leans left, and the OP-ED page is not different. you very rarely see an OPINION that favors the right, UNLESS they can put a favorable slant to the left side too. That’s all I want, a fair and balenced review of the topic. That would make me happy. A slanted view EITHER WAY is not a fair journalistic review of the topic.
By Retired Sgt
February 25, 2010 7:04 AM | Link to this
Alice, I just would like to see a balence in reporting. The DDN historically leans left, and the OP-ED page is not different. you very rarely see an OPINION that favors the right, UNLESS they can put a favorable slant to the left side too. That’s all I want, a fair and balenced review of the topic. That would make me happy. A slanted view EITHER WAY is not a fair journalistic review of the topic.
By FAM
February 25, 2010 9:05 AM | Link to this
Sgt. Only you know, but if you listen to talk radio, and/or watch FOX news, then possibly Alice has a valid point.
By scoobydo
February 25, 2010 9:15 AM | Link to this
blaming the Republicans because it is a FACT, Republicans have voted together to block Democrats’ attempts to pass legislation more often than any Congress in history. On December 18, Republicans broke the modern-day record for the most filibusters in history; Republicans used the filibuster 112 times in the 110th Congress. The filibuster used 54 times in the 109th Congress. There are 290 Bills that have passed the house, WITH GOP SUPPORT. Now waiting for the Senate, because of this filibuster use on almost every bill, even with GOP support, those bills just set there. Republicans oppose a bill to create a bipartisan commission on reducing the deficit, with seven GOP senators who once co-sponsored the bill then voted against it, that is Grand Obstructionist Party in a nutshell.
By Retired Sgt
February 25, 2010 9:45 AM | Link to this
FAM, what difference does what I watch and what I listen to have to do with fair and balenced reporting in the newspaper? FYI..I listen to NPR, and WLW, I watch FOX, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC…I do this becuase I want to examine ALL sides of an issue, not just talking points from either party, then I draw my own conclusions. I find it funny that some people on the left are so fearful of talk radio and Fox news, yet have 95% of all newsprint, and 5 tv networks all that lean left… I propose that the DDN have a point counterpoint to Mr. gottlieb et al for every article he and his liberal driven agenda writers..I will volunteer if no one else wants it…at least you would get a differering opinion instead of DNC party line talking points..
By Retired Sgt
February 25, 2010 9:46 AM | Link to this
FAM, what difference does what I watch and what I listen to have to do with fair and balenced reporting in the newspaper? FYI..I listen to NPR, and WLW, I watch FOX, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC…I do this becuase I want to examine ALL sides of an issue, not just talking points from either party, then I draw my own conclusions. I find it funny that some people on the left are so fearful of talk radio and Fox news, yet have 95% of all newsprint, and 5 tv networks all that lean left… I propose that the DDN have a point counterpoint to Mr. gottlieb et al for every article he and his liberal driven agenda writers..I will volunteer if no one else wants it…at least you would get a differering opinion instead of DNC party line talking points..
By FAM
February 25, 2010 11:20 AM | Link to this
Sgt.I find it funny that some people on the right are so critical of the newsprint, and TV networks, when other than NPR, radio bends over backwards to the right, and FOX network, and FOX cable are far from fair and balanced. Newsprint ranges from right to left depending on where the paper is located. There are probably more local newspapers that are editorially right leaning, especially in the midwest. DDN editorials are both right and left leaning, just not extremely right or left leaning. I commend your willingness to seek out a wide range of sources. Personally, I find NPR the most balanced, providing representatives of both sides during most discussions.
By FAM
February 25, 2010 2:04 PM | Link to this
Any person who believes that newsprint are equally balenced is kidding themselves. Numerous studies have been done showing 95% of print media is left leaning, as are video media. Fox and a few shows on AM Radio are right leaning. By far, the media ranges well to the left, yet all you hear left leaners is whine about FOX and AM Radio. BTW, FOX news was rated the most fair in their NEWS coverage (Not commentary), than any other video news source…
By FAM
February 25, 2010 4:58 PM | Link to this
SGt. I assume that your last entry accidently used the FAM name reference. Unless FOX has some balanced news show on in the middle of the night, I do not believe they are very balanced on a whole. Realize that bias can be reflected by what is not covered, as well as what is covered.
By Retired Sgt
February 26, 2010 1:52 PM | Link to this
Yup, and CBS, MSNBC et al, are fair and balenced? Paleese.. NY Times, LA Times fair and balenced? paleese… DDN Fair and Balenced? paleese… There is the left folks, if it interferes with the liberal chant, demonize it as being not a news source..
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