I am A Progressive...but

I am a progressive, a liberal, a social democrat, and would like you all to adopt my worldview.  We could save our country, save the world, save ourselves.  Just look at the facts.

“Every man has a right to his opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong on his facts.”  This famous quote from Daniel Patrick Moynihan, among others, seems so simple: opinions can differ, but should be based on factual truths.  At first blush, this statement appears to offer a way to soften the rancor and disagreements which have so divided the body politic these past months.  Let each of us learn the facts, before we blindly accept the opinion of another.  No more basing our opinions on the views of editorials, commentators, internet blogs, or neighbors.  No more easier and softer way. The primary documents and statistics are readily available.  Let’s review “the facts” and make up our own mind.  This legwork would surely broaden our knowledge of the “truth” and bring us closer together.

            I don’t think so.  The differences in our society are ideological and not based on ignorance.  Most of us realize there are two sides to the debate, each side based on a foundation of facts.  Other than what our gut and favorite talking heads tells us is right, we really don’t care.  We see facts as useful pawns, not fundamental truths.

            There are enough facts out there to support any position, no matter how radical.  The issues: the economy, global warming, education, international politics, are too complex to reduce to simple truths.  The scholars in the liberal and conservative think tanks, who study the empirical data ad nauseam, can’t agree on anything. 

            What I have recently discovered came as a complete shock and had me depressed for days. It is not more facts that will give me a more balanced view of the issues and humanize the heretics.  It is actually listening to them and discovering some personal truth in their opinions.  At the risk of my house being struck by lightning, I listened to Glenn Beck on the Mall.  Many of his pronouncements did not offend me.  I despise Ayn Rand.  I listened to a debate on her philosophy, some of which made sense.  I now read Peggy Newnan every Saturday.  Her folksy Reganisms more often than not, hit the mark.

            So there is legwork to do, but it is much more unpleasant than searching for facts.  It involves humanizing the heretics by putting ourselves in their shoes, listening to their sponsors and searching for common ground.  There are some facts we all agree on.

            I don’t feel as smug or comfortable and certainly some of the righteousness in my crusade has been deflated.  It remains more about ideas, not about those who disagree with me.