News Categories



Capitol Hill Blue is a not-for-profit, non-commercial experiment in on-line journalism published as an information resource for our readers. All material is © 2006 Capitol Hill Blue. For more information, please check out our FAQ. We take your privacy seriously at Capitol Hill Blue.
CHB Home / Half-Shell Home/ Print This Page / Email this page

Changing the tone of Washington

February 22, 2006 05:21 AM / FUBAR .

By MARTIN SCHRAM

Washington is all about tone these days. The tone is all about name-calling. And today, here in our Department of Think Big But Start Small punditry, we are proposing one way of changing the tone -- for one day.


We will be proposing that Washington adopt a National Change the Tone Day.

But first, remind yourself of why we need this change. Just listen to the sounds of negativity that reverberate through the corridors of power and canyons of Pennsylvania Avenue and K Street -- and then through the nonstop cable news-talk shows into our homes and our lives.

From the right you hear the sound of House Republicans, yukking it up at a Maryland resort this month. They rallied their sagging spirits with a video depicting "the Evil Democrat Empire," calling House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi "Darth Nancy." A few weeks before, their national party aired an ad calling Democrats the party of "retreat and defeat."

From the left comes the sound of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, variously lambasting Republicans as a "white Christian party," saying "a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives." And so on.

From the center comes the sound of, well, mainly the sound of silence. Centrists and common-sensists don't get many calls from talk-show bookers. The word is out that reasonableness will bore you. So politicians compete for your attention the way pro wrestlers compete for your affection _ with accusations in high decibel. Washington's pols have even learned the art of pounding the mat in feigned pain.

Some who wallow in the status quo will say there is no way we can ever make things more civil. If so, we'd better at least comply with the truth-in-labeling law by changing the name of Washington, D.C., to Washington, H.C. _ as in Hate City.

But today we are arguing that even politicians can change. Still, we must acknowledge that Washington's politicians are addicted to negativity. So we are proposing a cure that starts with one day at a time.

Washington needs to begin by creating a National Change the Tone Day.

On that day, every politician in the nation's capital will agree to speak only about policy _ positive solutions to our problems. There must be no discussion of which party or leader is to blame for the mess we face today. No name-calling, no blame-saying, no I-told-you-so-ing. No using first names or nicknames as terms of derision. (For one day, all the familiar shortcuts that are often uttered with implied tones of insult must be avoided; "W" must be only a letter of the alphabet, "Hillary" just a first name shared by many; and so on.

Just straight talk about solutions. Real politicians discussing real policy ideas that are designed to solve the real problems we face as a country and as ordinary citizens. Out of this may come some proposals that may bring added security to our lives by addressing the security challenges we face at all levels: Global security, homeland security, economic security, health-care security, job security and, yes, maybe even Social Security.

A National Change the Tone Day could also yield a number of ancillary positive results. Politicians may discover that people actually like being talked to _ and not talked down to. Also, that people will pay attention to detailed discussions of the problems we face and solutions that just might work. Politicians may rediscover that people actually paid attention when Ross Perot used his flip-card charts and graphs to discuss problems _ and that people turned away from Perot only when they realized that after educating us about the problems he really had no solutions to propose.

This much is for sure: Politicians will discover that clear explanations of problems and policies are hard work. That it was much easier when all they did was play the blame game.

Now that the rules for the politicians are set, we need to focus on the pundits. Their gigs on the talk shows will have to change _ for just one day. The usual political babble by which we make our livings must give way to informed analysis of policy alternatives. Either that or take the day off.

Now all we have to do is choose a date for National Change the Tone Day. Some might consider May 1, on the grounds that this is a May Day call for help. I tend to favor April 15 _ the day our income tax is normally due. That's one day we all want to hear something good from the government we have just bought.

 

 

(Martin Schram writes political analysis for Scripps Howard News Service.)


© Copyright 2006 by Capitol Hill Blue

Comments

How could you miss the obvious date: April 1? We would have to be total fools to think that anything so sensible and logical would ever eventuate in the Fantasy Land that lies within the Beltway. It just ain't gonna happen! Now, if you were talking about a BOHICA Day....no, wait, that's EVERY DAY in D.C.

Posted by Joe Buff at February 22, 2006 09:43 AM

All we hear is what Dems and Pubs think, say, and want, and don't want to envision. Has everyone lost true sight in Congress? It is THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE who have the place of decision making, not politicians who abuse and squander!

America has become nothing more than a wide range of spoiled babies! Ignorant adolescents at best.

When will people wake up from their dream/nightmare, to see, . . . The blind is leading the blind off of a high cliff?

While man remains sitting on a park bench, sipping refreshments poisoned with guile, life is passing everyone by.

As it is true to say, . . . It is not what man intakes that are poisonous, it is what comes out from the mouth of man that is. And within the daily proof of evidence, the Dems and the Pubs have proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they have been encasing more hatred toward others, than a loving concern for each other.

America is about to self detonate. Not due to any lethal device, but by the hands of self hatred.

Posted by TRUTH WITHIN at February 22, 2006 04:33 PM

great idea, it will never work, but still a great idea. and even though america is about to self detonate, it won't happen for another 20 odd years unless bush gets to stay in office till 08, by then he may send us so far down the shithole that we don't need to self destruct... we'll sink like dinosaurs in the la brea tar pits and only be a curiousity for future generations

Posted by Seth at February 22, 2006 06:37 PM

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR AMERICA

Dear Mr. President George W. Bush:

I, as a native American citizen, hereby bring to your attention, the release of this formal and legal document given to you, in witness of , my fellow American, and the world in which we are considered as One.

Mr. President, in one of your public speech’s, you proclaimed, . . . "Freedom is a powerful force."

We publicly question you on this matter of your speaking.

Is this the reason to why you are attempting to strip the citizens moral right to freedom?

Mr. President, do you attempt to, inhibit a person from meeting up with his or her individual power?

Mr. President, do you attempt to, inhibit all people to agree to disagree with a government that has stripped the white and the blue out of the American flag, leaving behind only the sight of red, which symbolizes the blood shed by the many souls you have placed into harms way, based upon your treacherous and insubordinate lies?

President Bush, ‘Patriotism’ is defined as when, an individual makes a conscience decision of choice to be patriotic toward their fellow-countrymen at all times, and patriotic onto their government, only when they deem its members being deserving. Receiving respect is not a given right, it is an acceptable privilege.

Mr. President, you publicly stated, . . . "We will not be proven wrong." Sir, in regards to the American government being proven wrong or right, is irrelevant. Relevancy exists only in the final results to the choices that were made, through the decisions of the American government. Of which in themselves, have proven the American government to be in the wrong.


Mr. President, the time has come to publicly apologize before the American public and the entire world included. The incompetency and the high level of gross negligence that has been spewed from this administration are in the purest form, of treachery.

Based upon the thoughtlessness and quick judgment of you and your administration, there now exists the creation of irreversible loss and damaged life, which will usurp man’s emotions for many years to come, for all nations concerned.

Taking on the actions your administration has chosen to, has cost this world its balance of honorable posterity. America no longer stands to be some other. America now stands to be suppressed by the known plights of ignorant men and women. There is a sizeable amount of exposed shame, through the many faces who ignored the telling of wisdom, and through the many faces who just merely ignored all together.

Mr. President, the American government will not succeed in this war, nor in the preempt of any other war. For the reason, war is an enemy against the nature of any domestic or foreign land. Therefore, within the arrogant stance of your administration, in the form of continuing with this front of aggression, warring in line with no just cause nor a lawful defense, the God of this land, the owner of his domain, will make himself known in a new form of light. One of which will be new to America’s imagination, one given with a fiery manus. So Mr. President, if we may lay an all-important question before your attention, . . . Are you willing to continue on taking on such a high risk, for such a no measure of a return?

We would like to kindly advise you Mr. President, . . . Please don’t tempt God. For God will prove you and your administration wrong, every time.

A WORD NOW GIVEN TO OUR AMERICAN COUNTRYMEN, . . .

America, it is time for the people to prove themselves to be right, and to enforce the power of law into the hands of justice and into the courts of service.

As of immediately, we present our initial to be added into this document, in allegiance to our country, alleging with substantial proof of evidence, that President Bush and all his named administrators of office, and those once removed, to be held liable for perjury, treachery, repeated crimes against the moral values of humanity, aiding and abetting terrorists, and obstruction of justice. This is not in conclusion to all findings of civil and criminal offenses against such matter of interest.

As of Thursday, February 23, of 2006, and hereafter, "We the people," in the name as One entity, declare President Bush to be immediately removed from all duties as Commander and chief and general of the United States for America.

If deemed necessary, force will be issued to arbitrate in the insurance of the removal of George Walker Bush from the seat of the White House located at:

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President, on a threefold note, we address the following:

We are truly in a state of remorse and disbelief. And in our time of sorrow, we come here to share with those, who suffer daily such excruciating pain, from an undying loss, and everlasting, longsuffering. We mourn with you. We also join, to genuinely apologize to all of the people, young and old, who have been viciously violated and victimized upon, throughout the many years given, by the work force of the American government. We stand with courage for you. In our closing testament, we are sincerely in empathy with those who are drenched with blood on their hands. We pray for you especially Mr. President. We pray that you will find the light to authentic spiritual healing and cleansing. And within the same hope, that many others will follow your lead, to the sacred place of redemption, rather than to, the position of war.

In our closing, we hope to collect one million initials in the support of the public’s demand for the removal of George Walker Bush, from the Public House of Representatives, also known as, the White House.

We hereby release this legal document into the care of the Open Court of Public Opinion for review. In final conclusion of this formal document, we enclose our initials in form of finalizing our will and testament before all the people of the world united. In step, we release all care of this written document into the charge of the Highest Lord of the land. We also release the guardianship of this document into the safekeeping of our fellow-citizens, and the powers invested in our ancestral law, which still stands in support for, the American Constitution.

Sincerely,
American citizen # one-C.B.
American citizen # two- E.B.

TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, OF THE UNITED STATES FOR AMERICA

Dear Secretary of Defense, Mr. Donald H. Rumsfeld:

You publicly announced the statement, . . . "There are people who lie and get away with it. That is a fact." Mr. Rumsfeld, this is not true. When the correct Time is given to speak, The Truth has the propensity to follow.


Posted by Saving Grace at February 23, 2006 10:16 AM

You cannot make things clean by covering a dirty shovel with a rose. Or remove the smell of a sewage dump by one spray of disinfectent

Posted by Warren Jackson at February 26, 2006 04:27 PM

casino chips Probaly you should read this. casino chips Hope this helps. See you next life

Posted by casino chips at March 6, 2006 08:40 AM

gambling supplies Probaly you should read this. gambling supplies Hope this helps. See you next life

Posted by gambling supplies at March 6, 2006 09:32 AM

texas hold em Great site! Congradulations!

Posted by texas hold em at March 7, 2006 03:19 PM

Post a comment

(Comments are moderated and will not be posted if they contain insults, flaming of other posters, profanity or libelous comments. Comments that are off topic will be deleted. Thanks for waiting.)


Top of Page

RECENT STORIES

Sign up for our Daily Newsletter mailing list!