8/13/2019 Polarities in Politics
1/3MAY ISSUE
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Republicans are geniuses at rediretheir constituents' best
interests!
In Indiana, a woman attemptssuicide by ingesting rat poisonafter
her boyfriend abandonsher. She is charged with themurder of her
unborn baby.Republican-controlled states
such as Idaho and Virginia work topass laws requiring a
transvaginalultrasound before a woman canhave an abortion. Other
states shielddoctors who withhold information thatmight cause a
patient to choose anabortion. Tea Partiers fight to defundPlanned
Parenthood.
The Republican war against women
YES, WE DID! e Obama Record on
Womens Issues By Eleonora di Liscia
rages on. In contrast, PresidentObama and the Democrats
havebrought change for the better to juabout every aspect of a
womanslife. Whether its work placeequality, protections against
rapeand domestic violence, education,access to healthcare, the
Presidenhas forged into the future, rather thforcing women back
into Medieva
times.
COMPREHENSIVE CHANGE: OnMarch 11, 2009, Obama created th
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[email protected]
Or visit our website at www.tenthdems.org
Or call us at 847.266.VOTE (8683)
Or write to Hon. Lauren Beth Gash, Chair, Tenth
Dems, P.O. Box 523, Deerfield, IL 60015
Editors:Barbara Altman, Susan Friedman,Allan Sperling
Editorial Staff:Jack Altschuler, Joan Attenberg,Vicki Bailyn,
Eleonora di Liscia,
Hon. Lauren Beth Gash, Adrienne Kirshbaum,
Ron Levitsky, Leslie Lipschultz,
Sharon Sanders, Steve Sheffey,
Neesa Sweet, Miles J. Zaremski
Design:Tom PeltierStone Event Photos: Mujeeb OsmanCommunity
Connection Photos:Vicki Bailyn
Distribution: Ravi Ganapathy, Glenn StierThe opinions expressed
are those of the writers and not
necessarily endorsed by Tenth Dems
In This Issue:
Yes, We Did..............,1/6- 7
2 Be a Democrat ......1/2-3
Democrats Are ..........4-5
Chilling........................8
It Aint Over..................9-13
Obama & Israel..........14-18
Jack Strom.....,............19
C.C.Corner....................20-21
Polarities.....................22-23
Tenth NewsMay 2012 Illinois Tenth Congressional District
Democrats Newsletter Volume 9, Edition 5
www.tenthdems.org
continued on p
A few years ago, at the dedicationor the Adlai Stevenson Center
in
Mettawa, former Democratic SenatorAdlai Stevenson III joked that
duringhe 1970s the greatest political
difference between him and CharlesPercy, his Republican
colleague,concerned who would obtain themost pork-barrel projects
for Illinois.
From this tongue-in-cheek comment,he audience sensed what must
have
been a wonderful camaraderie andmutual respect between two
senatorswho happened to be from differentparties.
Today, no one would accuseCongress of cordiality andcooperation.
Republicans, pushedurther right by the Tea Party and
To Be a Democrat by Ron Levitsky
religious conservatives, have madetheir number-one agenda item
tolimit President Obama to a single
term. They have fought healthcarereform and funding for the poor
whiledefending tax cuts for the wealthy.They speak of personal
freedom while
trying to limit the ability of gaysto marry or women to
access contraception.
Although not as numerous asDemocrats, Republicans have
craftedpolitical victories by packaging
their ideology as both simple andsuperficially attractive. They
opposebig government, entitlements,immigration reform, and
theacceptance of global warming asa scientific fact while
supporting
patriotism, family values, and greemasked as economic
freedom.
Perhaps because we are morenumerous and diverse ethnicallyand
racially, Democrats represent wide array of conflicting
ideologieFrom Blue Dogs to New Democrat
to Liberals to the DemocraticSocialists of America, we form
suc
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8/13/2019 Polarities in Politics
2/3
MAY ISSUE
Weve just been through a hard-ought primary in the
10thDistrict.
And while, for us, fights betweenDemocrats are, to some
extent,
ghts between friends who share similar vision of the country,
were preparing for a general electiongainst opponents who describe
their
deal United States in very differenterms.
t is very easy when ringingoorbells or making phone calls toe
passionate about what, to us,eems logical and true. And theres no
doubt that we are in an urgentnd crucial conflict over two visionsf
America and that we are fightingard to maintain progressive
values.
There is, however, a truth that comeso us from the wisdom
traditions and
major religions: if we cant see theruth in the other, then we
actuallyreate the future we are most afraidf.
A friend and teacher of mine, Barryohnson, explains this through
a
way of thinking he calls PolarityManagement, or PM. I believe
that
oliticians and those working inovernment might do well to take
a
ook at PM as a useful framing tool,whether a person is engaged
in direct
egotiations on an issue or talkingbout candidates in the
field.
Polarities are values that come inairs. They seem like
opposites; buthey are different from pure oppositesecause, in a
polarity, focusing foroo long on one pole, to the neglect
f the other, actually leads to thether. We see the result of
this in
American history as over the past36 years we have seen the mood
ofhe country swing from left to righto left and back again. It
works likereathingbreathe in too long andou have to breathe out,
and breatheut too long and you have to breathe
n. In polarities you dont choose x OR. You choose x AND y. And
by doing
so you actually get more of what youwant.
Barry Johnson has designed agraphic way of looking at
polarities-- a polarity map -- that allows us tolook at the upsides
and the downsidesof polarity pairs as well as the oftenemotional
path people and groups
take vacillating between them (shownon p. 23). Further, hes
devised amechanism that can help people getthe best of both most of
the timeinstead of spending too much timein the downside of either.
He startswith a general model that becomesconcrete and real with
specificcontent.
The model goes like this: When youfocus too long on the upside
of oneside of a polarity to the neglect of theother, that focus
causes the downside
to emerge. People and groups,finding themselves in that
downside,usually want to go directly to theupside of the other
pole, hence thevacillation. If, instead, you take a lookat the
downside of the other pole and
the upside of the pole youre about to
leave, you will create a healthy, well-managed flow between the
poles thatminimizes the time in the downsidesand gets that best of
both."
A look at a pair that usually playsa role in politics tradition
andinnovation will help make theseabstractions more concrete. In
manyways, this is an underlying force atplay in specific stances
and issues,such as whether one identifies as
progressive or conservative; howone sees the role of
government;and attitudes towards women, taxes,healthcare, and
education.
From the point of view of creating athriving United States, if
we look attradition, the upsides, or advantages,might include
historical continuity,core values such as democracy,and the
protection of stability. The
upsides of innovation might includdeveloping better ways to
useresources, new technical possibiliand the excitement that comes
fro
the new. The downside of traditioon the other hand, can include
misscientific, diplomatic and otheropportunities; emotional and
cultustagnation; and rigidity; while thedownsides of innovation can
inclua degree of chaos, wasted resourcand a lack of clear moral
identity.
Progressives might tend to see thedownside of the tradition pole
moroften than they see the upside,while conservatives might see
thedownsides of innovation, especialin the government arena.
(Rememattacks on government grants?) Aprogressive talking to a
conservator independent, however, mightdo well to talk about the
values of
tradition, such as historical contindemocracy, and stability to
keep thperson theyre talking to from lookimmediately at the
downside ofinnovation which the conservator independent may deeply
fear almost immediately.
On specific issues, it might meanconversations like this:
Womens Issues: If someone onlysees the downside of what theysee
as new roles for women in theworkplace or improving
womenshealthcare (innovation); they mighwant to go straight to
traditionalwomens roles in the family (upsideof tradition). Help
them see that
focusing only on tradition might memissed opportunities for the
familyand acknowledge that new roles csometimes seem uncertain.
Education: If someone only sees tdownside of a progressive
educatpolicy, seeing, for example, Pellgrants or better pay for
teachers arewarding the undeserving; then p
Polarities Help Us Avoid Our Fears and Get What We Want
By Neesa Sweet
continued on pa
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