Look Who's (Not) Talking

There’s so much going on in American politics right now and there are more words and phrases going on about it in coffee shops and media of all kinds than any time in recent memory.  Even in Canada, you can’t mention the two words “Donald Trump” without ushering in a torrent of opinions.  The talk seems endless.

But not necessarily the conversations or even legitimate debates.  They seem almost non-existent.  The positions are set, in concrete, and the partisanship is so rife with animosity that any attempt to open a door to talking is met with vitriol.

Regardless of our opinion or political persuasion, the refusal by the White House to cooperate with any investigation has left Congress unable to use evidence-based testimony to at least hammer out some common ground for moving ahead, as when the Nixon tapes, finally released, resulted in a coming together for the sake of the country.  Not in this case, however – not ever.

Beneath it all, the greatest irony is that people in both parties largely agree that what the president appears to have done in violation of protocol and the Constitution, he actually has done.  It all seems like some grand hallucination, but it is terribly real.  This isn’t about governance, the law or process, but about naked power and the desire to get it (Democrats) or keep it (Republicans).  For anyone watching the hearings in Congress, there was this troubling sense that none of it mattered.  So what if illegalities were discovered, professional witnesses laid out clear violations, outright lies were offered, or there was a carte blanche refusal buy the White House to release any pertinent information, even when under subpoena, the result could only be stalemate and a lot of yelling.  This was partisanship operating at a level over a lengthy period of time that we just haven’t seen before.

This isn’t about creative differences or the usual tussle between the parties.  It’s ultimately about governing with no compromise, no true debate, no shared quest for truth, and no real desire to help Congress live upon principle.  It is naked and mean politics, supplied by reams of cash, and aired every second of every day by a media having to find and share news in the midst of the ratings wars.

We’re not talking about historical distinctions or clearly held policy convictions.  It’s all about plenty of coverage, plenty of money, plenty of recrimination, plenty of hate, and above the overriding desire the get power.   It’s as crass as it gets.  We all say it and feel soiled in watching it all.  

There is nothing to debate, nothing to compromise on, and no kind of action to heal the country.  It is about lust for power on such a grand scale that only something like Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar can match it.

For many, including in the Congress and the White House, it’s not about talking but political war.  Any words, insight or revelation can’t change that reality one bit.  It’s written in stone.  Someday, all of this satire and intransigence will be the stuff of movies, Pulitzer prizes, philosophical treatises and riveting theatre, but not right now.  What we have is purposeful deafness and blindness at the highest level and all we can do is watch it like an impending train wreck.  If only there were some way to redeem it, to truly talk about it with a goal of finding compromise.  That’s just not in the cards.  It is one of democracy’s darkest moments with possible horrific consequences.  When humanity can’t talk, it can no longer function.