George Lakoff and Glenn W. Smith: Making Accountability Accountable

[demobabe]

Great article about accountability and what passes for it... our expectations vs. what's Republicans interpret as being "accountable":

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
By George Lakoff and Glenn W. Smith

"I'm trying not to say that I'm not accountable."

—Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, Walter Reed Hospital's former commander

Now that the Democrats in Congress can hold hearings with sworn testimony, the word "accountability" has finally become a staple of the daily news. But what, exactly, does "accountability" mean?

Accountability is what is called a contested concept, that is, a concept with different meanings for different people, depending on their values. What we have found is that conservatives and progressives mean systematically different things when they use the word. This is not surprising, given the radically different meanings of "freedom" on the left and the right, as discussed in George Lakoff's book, Whose Freedom?

As with all contested concepts, there is a shared core meaning of accountability, and it is linked to the meaning of responsibility: Whoever is responsible is accountable, and can be made to answer for not living up to his or her responsibilities.

That's where the commonality ends. Responsibility itself is contested. To progressives, it means social as well as personal responsibility — responsibility for both oneself and everyone else who could be harmed by one's failure. To conservatives, it means individual responsibility only. The difference is not surprising, since conservatism is about individual responsibility while progressivism centers on both individual and social responsibility.



Let us begin our examples with President Bush.

"Shortly before he was inaugurated for his second term, President Bush was asked why no one was held responsible for the mistakes of the first. 'We had an accountability moment,' he replied, 'and that's called the 2004 elections.'"

—Peter Baker, Washington Post, March 7, 2007

In short, the President is accountable to the voters only in an election — an accountability "moment" in which the voters can "punish" him by not re-electing him.

"I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best."

—President Bush, on demands for Rumsfeld's resignation

The etymology of "responsibility" is the same as that for "respond" — responsibility implies having to respond when questioned. But Bush, as a conservative in authority, is saying, effectively: "I don't have to respond. I decide." Accordingly, the lack of transparency in the Bush administration is also a consequence of his radical conservatism. The decider, as ultimate authority, is not accountable to the public once he is elected and not up for re-election.

Whole article here - must read: http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/848

[demobabe]

1. This is a great article

kick!

[demobabe]

2. kick

:kick:

[demobabe]

3. one more kick...

Surprised not more people are interested in this article...