Independence – worth fighting for
I’m not a partisan, but I imagine that partisans have it pretty easy. Whether they’re on the left or the right, they always know which side to take in a debate. Rational, critical thought isn’t really necessary. They just support their party’s stance on the issue in question. And if they don’t know what that stance is, they can just turn on talk radio (if they’re conservatives) and find out from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity what their opinion is. If they’re on the left, then radio is probably out, but they need only read the latest article in The Nation magazine, or a recent article by Maureen Dowd or Paul Krugman of the NY Times.
Being politically independent is a lot more difficult. As an independent, I have to research issues rather than pulling for a party. It means that I have no partisan collective on my side. To partisan conservatives, I’m a “liberal”; to partisan liberals, I’m a “conservative.” If I happen to side with, say, conservatives on an issue, then liberals pounce, stereotyping me with the likes of screaming, conservative cable news talk show hosts (ever turned on Fox News?). The same is true if I side with liberals on an issue around a group of conservatives. It’s not my idea of fun.
But when it comes to the war of ideas, independence is worth fighting for. I can side with conservatives on an issue, but side with liberals on other issues, depending on which side is credible (or, as is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in between or even outside of either view point). This freedom allows me to cherry pick the good ideas rather than universally accepting the ideas of one party while universally rejecting the ideology of the other.
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There’s a difference between the cable news screamers and true visionaries. Winning the war of ideas–the series of battles that makes this nation great–means siding with the winning idea rather than a party. Again, it’s not an easy thing to do, because while you may have friends on both political camps, you will also have opponents on both sides as well.
So what does one do who wishes to be independent? I’ll offer a few thoughts. First, seek out people who produce great ideas such as Milton Friedman, Thomas Barnett, and Thomas Friedman. Read books that are mind-opening rather than mind-narrowing (I’ll give some examples in a moment). And, on a routine basis, read news sources that are credible, non-sensational, and global in perspective (examples to follow).
Seeking out people and authors who produce great ideas is pivotal. When you read them, you’ll know that they are idea-producers, and you’ll be able to contrast them with those who appeal to emotion rather than intellect. When you read/watch books, editorial rants, articles, etc, of such people as Paul Krugman, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, or Maureen Dowd, you’ll notice that they have one thing in common: they appeal to emotion more so than intellect. Notice in that list that I listed both ultra-cons and ultra-libs. Their commonality is their tendency toward political extremism that is mind-narrowing. Rather than broadening minds with Big Ideas, they narrow minds with rhetoric, appealing to the emotion (typically, hating the folks in the opposite party). Mainstream media, talk radio, and many print media outlets are full of these people, and it’s really, really sad.
What about books that are mind-opening? A few of them include: Freakonomics, Blink, Tipping Point, What’s So Great About America, The Pentagon’s New Map, Blueprint for Action, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, and many, many others. Not all of the aforementioned relate to politics at all, but all are interesting and mind-expanding.
What about news outlets that are informative? I suggest the WSJ, The Economist magazine, and the NY Times, as well as NPR (radio). NPR: by default, you have a smart audience (dumb people would just get bored way too fast listening to NPR news). The news presentation is commensurately intelligent and informative. WSJ: very good newspaper, period. The Economist magazine (intl ed): one of the best magazines on the planet. NY Times: definitely second to WSJ, but pretty good, with deep coverage of issues (though they need to replace a few of their syndicated columnists).
Good news sources that are non-sensational, credible, and that take a global, far-reaching perspective are best. Good books are a good thing. Great thinkers (& their articles, books) are a great source of knowledge & inspiration. And, lastly, avoid the peddlers of narrow-mindedness, partisanism, hyper-emotional rants, and insight deficiency.
Being politically independent doesn’t mean being “centrist” or annoyingly neutral on all issues. It doesn’t mean being indecisive. It means being free from the restrictions of group-think in the absurd right-left ideological war. Finding the Big Ideas, and the producers of those big ideas, is a goal worth pursuing. Being independent is part of that, and it’s worth fighting for.