Comment 40309

By Kiely (registered) | Posted April 30, 2010 at 16:37:58

However I find it intriguing that the model of public policy development you've presented makes almost no mention of the medium in which social/public policy is developed: human interaction. So while the appeal to moderation may be a logical fallacy, it is an essential part of the social incrementalism that gets large groups of individuals to agree to change anything at all. - Borelli

Well said Borelli, that's all I've been trying to say. While it isn't a huge concern of mine I am somewhat reassured that others do not believe I am crazy for thinking this.

There ARE good and bad decisions, right and wrong decisions but all that goes out the window when you bring the human part into the equation. IF you are seeking to achieve buy-in, consensus, "middle ground" or whatever you wish to call it, you can't argue points from the position of "I'm right and you're wrong" it just creates noise. The Republicans knew this fact and used it in the Health care debate. For a year Obama tried his best to get them to come to the table and provide input, to develop a consensus, but they just took the "We're right, you're wrong" approach and began lying and spinning data to "prove" it, knowing full well it would drag the debate on and on, solving nothing and hoping the bad press (which they manage to control the delivery of) would kill the idea. It was the only strategy they could really muster and it was working but unfortunately for them Obama woke up soon enough and realised he had to simply force his policy through if it was going to happen. So yes they got their healthcare reform but ~50% of voters got zero representation in that bill because their representatives refused to cooperate… and even though I don't support Republican ideals there is still something fundamentally wrong with that in a system that calls itself a democracy. Compromise and "middle ground" may be a "fallacy" but they are critical components of a democratic system. Lest we all simply want to be told what to do by those that claim to know what is right for us?

Not to take full credit for this discussion topic, although I am the one getting labeled with the "moral relativist" moniker lately : ) but I'm glad this discussion has been started it is a good one, and I believe an important one… I hope to contribute to it more when I have a bit more time.

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