Degradation in Democratic Debate
What kind of society, discourse, and political leader do you prefer?
A leader sets the tone – for civility, discourse, and the parameters of political debate.
Below are photos of vastly different styles of political leadership.
The first is one of my favorite photos – look at the dignity and intelligence of this woman’s face.
(and that’s Jennifer Beck and Declan O’Scanlon behind her, showing that big political shots don’t get special privileges and automatically placed at the head of the line, but the people come first):
woman asks a question at Mercer County public hearing on Gov. Corzine's toll plan (Hightstown High SChool, Feb. 9, 2008)
The political leader that set this tone was Gov. Jon Corzine.
In defending his toll plan, Corzine handled himself with dignity, spoke respectfully, and appealed to reason and the better angels of the people:
Now, fast forward just 5 years – and compare the Corzine leadership to what goes on at public fora under Gov. Christie.
We have a debased political culture and headlines and videos like this:
Gov. Chris Christie’s boardwalk confrontation captured on cell phone video
What kind of society, discourse, and political leader do you prefer?