The movie documented the mostly well-known examples of the scheming and infighting carried out by Cheney and his coterie of appointees as they attempted – for the most part successfully – to subvert the normal governing process (and even the normal role for the President) and to take over many of the key decisions during this time period. Their tactics and their sneering contempt for anyone outside their circle could well be described as gutter politics. However, that term was used back in the 1950s by President Eisenhower, who explained moderate Republicanism by saying that “the middle of the road is all the usable surface. Both extremes – left and right – are in the gutters.”
Politics has been on an increasingly bumpy ride in recent decades, with the major political parties (in Canada and many other “Western” democracies as well as the U.S.) vacating the traditional middle of the road positions and spending more and more time with at least one wheel in the gutter. Reasoned debate and discussion of issues, efforts to find common ground and appeal to the largest common denominator, have been replaced by extreme stances designed to shore up support from the fervent fans on the fringe. One is reminded of another quote from the 1950s, from the intellectual Adlai Stevenson, who twice ran, unsuccessfully against Eisenhower. Informed by academics that he enjoyed the support of thinking Americans, Stevenson replied: “That’s not enough; I am going to need a majority.”
While the polarization of politics is more extreme south of the border, the same harmful pattern is becoming increasingly common in Canada as well. The Liberals and Conservatives were traditionally “big tent” parties, setting out policies designed to attract the widest possible support. Within each of these parties one found a wide range of views, with Red Tories within the Progressive Conservatives having much in common with right of centre members of the Liberal Party. This overlap is now almost gone as is any evidence of Progressive Conservatives. The federal party was pulled right when it merged with the Reform Party back in the 2003 and has felt the need to move even further to the right recently to counter the threat posed by the new very right wing People’s Party of Canada party led by former Conservative Cabinet Minister Maxime Bernier.
Equally extreme have been the actions taken by the new Ontario Conservative Government of Doug Ford, as the Premier works at dismantling the progressive measures put in place by the previous Liberal regime. From protection of the greenbelt, to regulations governing clean water, to rolling back initiatives to promote electric cars, to apparent plans to encourage a two tier health care system with an increased private-for-pay component, the Ford Government is as different as it is possible to be from the moderate, middle-of-the-road Conservative Government of Bill Davis who was famous for demonstrating that “bland works.”
Not to be outdone, the federal Liberals have moved markedly to the left, especially in terms of social issues and inclusiveness. Its sometimes heavy-handed approach was evident last year with its requirement that groups applying for federal summer jobs funding certify their respect for certain rights, including “reproductive rights.” The inevitable outcry from religions groups wondering why they had to declare their position on such matters just to get funds to pay students to work, for example, at summer camps finally led to a softening of these rules.
Moderation Missing in Social Media
The wild card in any attempts to move the parties back toward the centre is the pervasive influence now wielded by social media. Instead of turning to the mainstream media (newspapers and television stations) for their information about current issues, people increasingly turn to Internet sources that tell them what they want to hear. The fact that opinions can be expressed anonymously contributes to the extreme and angry exchanges that all but eliminate any possibility of discussion that might increase understanding of alternative points of view – not to mention that Internet content can be fraudulent and designed to disrupt and divide, as we now know has been perpetrated by Russians attempting to destabilize America.
Compounding the problem is that major networks have also been shifting their coverage toward the extremes, as exemplified by Fox News and CNN in the U.S. In addition, we no longer seem to have the highly respected news anchors of earlier decades, whose reporting was believed and accepted by most – an issue that I will address in an upcoming blog.
The Moderates Need to Speak Up
Our best hope, in my view, is if the large numbers of mostly moderate and mostly disinterested citizens step up and become more actively involved in politics. Far too many have tuned out, turned off by the extremes on both sides, disillusioned by the examples of conflict and corruption that always attract maximum media attention, and convinced that their vote wouldn’t mean anything anyway. It is time for them to take back their political system from the hardliners who have captured and distorted it. I realize that this is idealistic thinking, but what other options are there? If our political parties (and mainstream media as well) discover that an increasing proportion of the electorate want to hear about moderate approaches to the issues of the day and want to have these possible approaches discussed and considered before being rejected, there will be some incentive for the parties (and media outlets) to drag themselves back from the gutter. Short of a strong message from the electorate, I am not sure what else can get us moving back to the middle of the road.