I was glad to see Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) of Georgia acknowledge this morning that partisanship on Capitol Hill is intensifying and undermining American governing. I was much less glad to see his explanation for this development (via David Taintor).
Of particular interest was this line about partisanship in D.C.: "I don't think there's any question that it's worse. I think one thing that's made it that way is C-SPAN, very honestly. You've got folks on TV now, instead of doing political commercials, they rant and rave during dinner time on the East Coast, and then at 9 o'clock, you see the West Coast guys up there."
This is not at all persuasive. It's certainly possible that politicians will grandstand for the cameras -- usually at times when the chamber is nearly empty -- though they're probably smart enough to realize C-SPAN's viewing audience is probably pretty small, especially "during dinner time."
What matters more, however, is what these same policymakers are doing when they leave the chamber. Are they working in good faith with their colleagues? Are they open to compromise? Are they taking constructive roles in the process of governing? Very little work gets done on the literal floor of the Senate; the real work is done away from the public eye. Those who care more about policymaking than partisanship are perfectly capable of serving effectively, regardless of the cameras in the chamber.
Besides, C-SPAN started its broadcasts more than three decades ago. If it's the cameras that have created the toxicity, why does everyone think it's so much worse now?
This leads, however, to a separate issue: if C-SPAN cameras aren't responsible for the partisan shift, it's worth considering what the real factor is.
Chambliss' explanation seems inadequate, but there are other explanations. For example, a recently-published analysis of lawmaker ideologies points to a fascinating trend. Looking back over the last 130 years, we see Democratic ideologies remaining relatively stable, while Republicans' shift to the far right has become more pronounced since the 1980s. The GOP that we see today is the most ideologically extreme, at least statistically speaking, since the dawn of the modern American party system.
Vote View Blog
Doesn't it seem more likely that partisanship has intensified because one of the major parties has become more extreme? It seems far more likely than blaming C-SPAN cameras.
Leave a Comment:
When the elderly talk to themselves, they are considered nuts.
When they do it on the senate floor. . .
It says that they're "nuts that have embarrassed the nation world-wide"?!? I'm so horrified that these people are in office, because it speaks volumes about the degradation of American intelligence.......
Can't get much more non-partisan than C-Span, really. No matter. What's most important to republicans, and certainly most dangerous in their minds, is that it offers them no hiding place from the public's crystal clear view of their shenanigans. I guess we can probably expect that even it , in the way of PBS, will be on the GOP chopping block for elimination should they ever get the chance to do it.
It's definitely not C-SPAN's problem. Canada, the UK and many other nations have special networks that have been airing their Parliaments and interviewing members for decades, as well, without the total collapse of the legislative process.
I'd suggest that Sen. Chambliss take a look at how his party blocks everything in the Senate, and how his Republican colleagues in the House waste time on measures such as Planned Parenthood or reaffirming the national motto before refusing to allow votes on Democratic measures. He might also look at the far-right wing SuperPACs that spew venom and hatred across the land. Or how members of his party voted for the Blunt-Rubio bill only to go on TV days later and say "tut-tut, this sort of thing is a bad idea and we should stop it."
Only then can the Senator start calling the kettle names.
Modern day Republican right wing extremists are more responsible for the problems of America than any other group on this earth. They block all positive change to better this country and side with corporations who pay them better than their positions in public office ever will. Their ranks are filled with psychopaths and greedy crooks who kowtow to religious nutcases who get the proudly uninformed public sidetracked on social issues that have long been settled- and are, frankly- none of their damn business!
It's not the cameras.
Chambliss' poor excuse, to which I say, "Nuts"!
T'was not the cameras that slew our bodypolitik, but rather the Gingrich standard of speaking into those cameras, and in front of an almost chamber, to excoriate his political rivals without the decency of supporting his claims, and making endless hyperbole out of what should have been common legislative debate!
Go figure "camera" Republicans! -Kevo
What freaks the hell out of all these old boyz like Chambliss, is the fact that now, every scripted or hate filled partisan word and gesture they slam out there on the floors of Congress is on video or audio record…and they can be held to account!
People are starting to check out for themselves what is going on in Congress first hand…
And that is scary stuff when you're letting lobbyists and ALEC write your bills and laws and tell you what to say…right Saxby?
Damn, what the hell is the world coming to, when an elected official can be called out and forced to take responsibility for his or her own words and voting record…
WTF is up with 'THAT'…
Right??
Maybe this is an admission of sorts. That the GOP performance in congress is tantamount to grand standing for the benefit of the Tea Party Fringe, signaling to them that they are indeed toeing the Tea Party line. Any viewer can confirm that their Senator or House Rep is doing what they are "supposed" to do to curry the favor of the Tea Party -- blindly disagreeing with Obama and the Dems no matter what the cost. Any representative who fails to toe this line will be voted out of office. I understand this to be Chambliss' admission of what is the basis for GOP voting against the interests of the electorate.
Newt Gingrich made huge use of C-SPAN as a bully pulpit during his US House years. He spoke for hours and hours when no one else was in the House. The rules prevented C-Span from showing the empty house on camera.
Saxby Chambliss is the chickenhawk who "swift-boated" Vietnam war hero Senator Max Cleland to win his seat. He has NO honor. He is a despicable born again fundamentalist Georgia good old boy Tali-Cracker.
Cspan, really!?
impishparrot just beat me to it. what makes partisanship worse? comparing someone who lost limbs fighting a war in the U.S. Military to bin Laden in a crass election campaign commercial. that isn't someone i'd be in a mood to compromise with. its hard to just let that go and say "hey, lets go have a drink together."
C-Span? As Amy Poehler and Seth Myers would say, Really?
Filibuster use = chart results.
I'm with you MichaelW CSPAN Really? To which I add Seriously?!
I think Toure made this whole point so well about the Trayvon case, because the lack of justice, rights and civility has seemed to be misplaced somewhere. But the one thing that seems to come together is the people who do want something better are coming together, they don’t want to have this racial, sexual orientation, equality, rights, and freedoms divide that some seem to want to have. The one thing it should really only be is that some people are good and some like to do bad things and nothing more than that.
Regardless of WHO's looking at the Senate floor when legislation is being passed, should the "lawmakers" not take the situation by the horns and get work done anyway?
I mean, in my office, there's a security camera in the corner. Does it hinder MY performance because someone might be watching me? You better hope not. You might even think that I perform BETTER knowing those responsible for my paycheck are watching.... I sure as hell don't act out and do cartwheels in here.
What these buffoons are lacking is a sense of ownership of the cause-effect relationship that's playing out in our chambers. Why is there partisanship at the inordinate levels of today? Because people are concerned MORE about being deemed "conservative" or "republican" than they are about actually making a difference. And, as for anyone who attempts to reach across the aisle and get cooperation going? Faghettabout it. SOL.
So... has the Republican Party become more crazy? Or has exposure like C-SPAN just made it more obvious? :)
It's not the media exposure or political ideologies that are to blame for the partisan shift in American politics, but tragic as it may sound it's because no politician is fundamentally elected anymore, but instead is bought and paid for.
Perhaps the trend line suggests the emergence of a new party that will accommodate the far right wing? It's clear from recent history that the traditional meaning of political conservatism has been usurped by radical, baseless ideology that is entirely too shrouded in religious fluff. A third political party that can represent what it used to mean to be "conservative" would do wonders for returning the dialogue in this country to that which is based on intelligence, debate, and facts instead of lies, deceit, and utter intellectual nonsense.
Fox News has a lot to do with the partisanship..
I too blame Fox non news for the partisanship problem. People like Ann Coulter would demonize the democrats, and also had people like Glen Beck who, on his show asked people to poison Pelosi. This changed the Republicans from conservatives with an open mind for compromise to attack dogs. Lets not forget Newt who came up with 22 nasty things to accuse the Democrats that would ignite people into a rage. Republicans like to appeal to peoples anger while stealing from them by giving the wealth of this country to the 1%
I haven't seen any mention, except peripherally, about the right wing christianist takeover of the republican party being responsible, at least in part. If you are results oriented, then you are reasonably willing to work with the opposition to try to get something done. However, if you are in a mental frame that regards moral purity as being the be-all and end-all of everything, then results are irrelevant compared to not even being willing to discuss with the "enemy" and besmirching your purity with contamination from the dark side. To a large extent, that is where we are since about the time of St. Ronald of Alzheimer's. The idea that a replacement party for what used to be the Republicans might be a good idea for the country has a lot of merit.
Ummm...is he totally unaware that no one actually watches C-SPAN? I think Faux News is the more likely culprit.
I am thankful for C-SPAN it opened my eyes. The reason this man is camera shy is because of the exposure. I actually want to know as much as I can about our Public Servants. They dress really nice. I'm not sure how they evolved so badly though. They have gotten so far away from the issues that matter the most. We need to see where our tax dollars are going. Just like they need to see how they can better serve the American People. The majority of people are being mistreated. Most of us put off going to the Doctor. They can see the doctor whenever they want. They get to go on a vacation. We can go on a vacation from work but, we have to stay at home. I haven't had a raise in 8 years and when I did it was a nickel. I've worked since I was 13 and now I probably won't be able to retire. I lost a good percentage of my 401k. My employer has stopped offering pensions. I lost my house after 4 attempts to try and get help. My husband lost his job. I started watching C-Span and I sure as hell want to know what is going on in Washington. Unborn fetuses are none of my concern right now. We can take care of that later. Right now we need to pull the rug out from under these so called Public Servants and witness the cards as they start to fall. The first card I think we should pull is the rascist card. Hey, we should call it as we see it. If you lie, you are a liar. If you're trying to destroy our President you are a rascist. The President and many others won't say this because they know that's what the Republicans want them to say and he won't give them the satisfaction. So, I will say what the majority of people in America know, that the GOP are rascist. Why do you think it took this long to have an African American as President. President Obama is even stronger than we realize and guess what God is on his side.
One day I was watching the History Channel and they were showing the history of the Klu Klux Klan. I just got a feeling how some of the values I was seeing on TV were similar to the modern day Republican Party.