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>>> LET'S TALK NOW ABOUT THE
STATE OF OUR NATION.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT
THE BROKEN GOVERNMENT.
NOW I'M GOING TO BRING IN OUR
REGULAR PANEL OF INDEPENDENT
EXPERTS.
JOE GAND'LLMAN IS THE EDITOR IN
CHIEF OF THE MODERATE VOICE
BLOG.
HE IS IN SAN DIEGO.
OMAR ALI IS AN INDEPENDENT
VOTING ANALYST.
HE IS IN WASHINGTON.
AND NICOLE KUROKAWA IS ALSO AN
INDEPENDENT VOTING ANALYST, ALSO
IN WASHINGTON TONIGHT.
SO YOU JUST HEARD MY
CONVERSATION WITH SIX RETIRING
HOUSE MEMBERS.
JOE, WE'LL START WITH YOU.
IS THERE A ROLE INDEPENDENTS CAN
PLAY TO HELP EASE THE
PARTISANSHIP?
>> THE SYSTEM IS NOT REALLY SET
UP AT THIS POINT AND THE WHOLE
POLITICAL CULTURE TO GIVE MUCH
CREDENCE TO INDEPENDENTS BECAUSE
AS YOUR INTERVIEWS NOTED, SAY
THERE'S SOMEONE IN CONGRESS WHO
WANTS TO SHOW EVEN A MODICUM OF
INDEPENDENCE, THEY'RE
IMMEDIATELY CHARACTERIZED AND
DEMONIZED AND PUSHED INTO A
NON-COMPROMISING POSITION --
>> SO WHOSE FAULT IS THAT
ANYWAY?
THE PARTIES' FAULTS OR THE
PEOPLE BACK HOME, THE
CONSTITUENTS?
>> IT'S DEFINITELY THE
CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE WE HAVE
WHAT I CALL THE TALK RADIO
POLITICAL CULTURE THAT YOU SEE,
WHETHER IT'S TALK RADIO OR THE
NEW MEDIA.
SO PEOPLE ARE INSISTING --
PEOPLE ONLY WANT TO LISTEN TO
PEOPLE THEY ALREADY AGREE WITH
AND READ PEOPLE THEY ALREADY
AGREE WITH.
THE MINDSET.
>> LET ME ASK OMAR THIS.
ONE OF THE CONGRESSMEN TALKED
ABOUT GERRYMANDERING AND YOU SAW
THEM TALKING ABOUT CIVILITY
THERE.
IF IT'S ONLY PEOPLE THEY AGREE
WITH, RIGHT?
THEY SAY THEY'RE BEING FACED
WITH THAT CHOICE BECAUSE OF
GERRYMANDERING, BECAUSE OF THE
WAY THE DISTRICTS ARE PLANNED
OUT.
AND THAT'S PART OF A PARTISAN
WAY OF DOING BUSINESS IN THE
BEGINNING.
AND SO THEY HAVE TO GO BACK HOME
AND LOOK AT THE CONSTITUENTS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, AS ONE OF THE
CONGRESSMEN SAID, YOU KNOW, THE
ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS AT THE
STRUCTURAL LEVEL.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT
PERSONALITIES AND GOING OVER TO
PEOPLE'S HOUSES FOR DINNER AND
BEING CIVIL WITH EACH OTHER.
THIS IS IN SOME WAYS WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT THAT INDEPENDENTS
CONTINUE TO ASSERT THEIR VOICES
BECAUSE OPEN PRIMARIES, OR
NON-PARTISAN REDISTRICTING WOULD
BUST OPEN THE SYSTEM SO THAT THE
AMERICANS CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A
VOICE AND IN SOME WAYS BREAK
THROUGH THE PARTISAN GRIDLOCK.
>> NICOLE, DO YOU AGREE WITH
THAT?
>> ACTUALLY, I ALSO BLAME THE
PARTIES BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
CANNIBALIZATION.
LOOK HOW MUCH FLAK OLYMPIA SNOWE
GETS FROM THE RIGHT.
AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
COMMITTEE RETREAT RECENTLY THEY
VERY NARROWLY DEFEATED A
RESOLUTION TO REINSTATE PURITY
TESTS FOR THEIR MEMBERS.
AND IF THEY HAD THAT, RONALD
REAGAN WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT.
YEAH.
THEY ARE FORCING MODERATES OUT
FROM THEIR OWN RANKS.
SO --
>> AS I AM TALKING TO YOU, WE
WERE -- SOMEONE SENT IN A
COMMENT EARLIER SAYING OH, I
CAN'T BELIEVE THESE GUYS ARE
BLAMING IT ON THE PUBLIC.
AND WHAT I'M GETTING FROM THEM
IS THEY'RE SAYING THERE'S TIME
FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR
EVERYONE, INCLUDING THEM, OMAR.
>> THERE'S SELF-ASSESSMENT TO BE
MADE FOR SURE --
>> BUT FROM THE VOTER AS WELL.
THAT MAY BE A TOUGH PILL TO
SWALLOW FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
WATCHING OR FOR SOME AMERICANS.
>> WELL, I THINK THE VOTERS DO
HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
AND IT'S OUR JOB TO GO AND VOTE
FOR THE PEOPLE WE THINK WILL
ADVANCE THE INTERESTS OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AS A WHOLE.
SO YOU KNOW, COME SEPTEMBER AND
THEN COME NOVEMBER WE'LL SEE
WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAY.
AND THE INDEPENDENT VOTERS ARE
GOING TO PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE, AS
THEY'VE BEEN THE MARGIN OF
VICTORY IN A NUMBER OF KEY
ELECTIONS FROM OBAMA TO WHAT WE
SAW IN MASSACHUSETTS AND THE
GOVERNORS.
YOU KNOW, SO I THINK, YES,
VOTERS DO HAVE TO TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS VOTERS
ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT, I
MEAN INDEPENDENTS IN PARTICULAR,
IS THE PROCESS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT GOES TO THE
HEART OF OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY.
>> AND YOU SAID PROCESS REFORM,
THAT'S WHAT THEY NEED.
PROCESS REFORM.
THEY DIDN'T SAY THE GOVERNMENT
WAS NECESSARILY BROKEN, IT WAS
IN NEED OF REFORM, AND MOST OF
THEM SAID PROCESS REFORM.
AND THERE ARE OTHER THINGS ON
TOP OF THAT.
SO JOE, WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING --
WE WATCHED THE HEALTH CARE
SUMMIT THIS WEEK IN FRONT OF THE
CAMERAS.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR INDEPENDENTS?
IF ANYTHING.
>> WELL, THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS
OF LOOKING AT IT.
IN ONE SENSE YOU COULD LOOK AT
IT AND SAY IT SHOWED BOTH
PARTIES DID HAVE PEOPLE THAT
WERE ABLE TO TALK SUBSTANCE,
THAT IT WASN'T STRICTLY
DEMONIZATION.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU SAW TWO
SIDES PRETTY MUCH IN IX FIXED
POSITIONS.
SO THE INDEPENDENTS JUST HAVE TO
KEEP CLAMORING AND PUSHING.
AND REALLY THIS IDEA THAT THE
WAY THE SYSTEM IS SET UP FOR
YEARS THE CONSENSUS WAS A VIRTUE
IN AMERICAN POLITICS AND NO
LONGER IS THE IDEA OF COMPROMISE
CONSIDERED SOMETHING OF A
WEAKNESS, SO INDEPENDENTS HAVE
TO KEEP PUSHING FOR PEOPLE TO
TRY TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK ON
COMMON GROUND.
WHAT I CAME ACROSS WATCHING
THAT -- THE SUMMIT.
I WATCHED QUITE A LOT OF IT.
AND AGAIN, I SAW THE REPUBLICANS
WERE NOT AS BEREFT OF IDEAS AS
SOME PEOPLE HAD SUGGESTED.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU SAW
POSITIONS THAT WERE ALMOST
COMPLETELY INTRANSIGENT AS FAR
AS --
>> SO NICOLE, I JUST HAVE A FEW
SECONDS HERE.
BUT IS THERE NEED FOR MAYBE AN
INDEPENDENT STAR?
THIS IS "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
SUNDAY MAGAZINE.
WE SEE SCOTT BROWN ON THE COVER.
WHO'S THE INDEPENDENT STAR WHO
CAN HELP YOUR VOICE, THE
INDEPENDENTS' VOICE BE HEARD?
>> WELL, IT WOULDN'T BE BERNIE
SANDERS AND IT WOULDN'T BE JOE
LIEBERMAN.
BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING ABOUT THE SUMMIT IS BACK
TO PROCESS.
OVERALL, THE NEXT STEP WE'RE
GOING TO SEE IS GOING TO BE ON
RECONCILIATION.
AND WHAT WORRIES ME ABOUT
RECONCILIATION IS IF THEY PUSH
THAT THROUGH IT IS GOING TO BE
AN INDICATION FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION THAT THEY DON'T
WANT INDEPENDENTS AND THEY DON'T
WANT REPUBLICANS.
THEY'RE DISENFRANCHISING A HUGE
SECTION OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A STAR,
BUT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO BE